Fear
by MadameCissy
Summary: Five women are found dead with a similair MO. Jane and Maura realise they have a serial killer on their hands. In their race to prevent another victim from dying, Maura has to confront her own personal fears concerning Jane. Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my first Rizzoli & Isles story. I have only recently discovered the series and I hope I have done them some justice. Of course, I do not own anything (If I did... well, let's not go there...) This story will be Rizzles eventually.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"_We don't give in to fear"__  
"I understand that; if we do than we end up dying a little bit every day"_  
_~Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles "Born to Run"_

~()~

It was pouring it down. The rain hammered on the roofs of cars, lashed violently against windows and filled the gutters and sewers at a rapid speed. The streets were covered in pools of muddy water and Jane Rizzoli groaned as she stepped out of her car and felt her foot sink straight into a large puddle. She slammed the car door and did not even bother to protect herself from the rain as she quickly made her way across the sidewalk and into the apartment building. By the time she had made it inside her black hair stuck to her forehead and her coat and pants were soaked.

She met the officer standing by the elevator, signed herself in and then made her way up. She got out on the fifth floor and followed the sound of voices to the apartment at the end of the corridor. Several uniformed police officers were talking to neighbours and made notes.

"You look like a drowned rat!" Korsak commented as Jane lifted up the yellow police tape sealing off the front door and stepped into the apartment. Her eyes shot across the room and met his.

"Have you looked outside?" she snapped back. The rain was rattling against the glass. Korsak shrugged and continued looking over the shoulder of one of the crime scene investigators who was taking pictures of something on the cream coloured carpet.

"Is it him?" Jane asked as she walked into the bedroom and found Maura Isles bend over the bed.

"Actually, it's a her," Maura answered as she looked up and her eyes met Jane's across the room. A smile lingered on her lips. Jane shot her a dark look and Maura instantly understood what she meant. Her eyes were drawn back to the body in the bed and Jane approached. When she reached the bed, her heart skipped a beat and a strange, cold sensation washed over her. As she looked at the woman in the bed the images she had gotten so used to started to flood back into her mind.

"It's him," Jane sighed and shook her head. Maura had slowly pulled back the covers and revealed the woman's full body. Now that the blood stained sheets were removed, the woman's mutilated body became visible and Jane felt her stomach tighten. Her dark eyes found Maura. "That's the third one in two weeks and we are no closer to finding him!"

"Stab wounds appear quite similar to the ones found in earlier victims," Maura said as a gloved hand gently lifted up the woman's dress and revealed a pattern of wounds Jane had seen before.

The corners of Jane's mouth twitched at the comment. She knew Maura's hesitation to state observations without having any scientific evidence to support what she was saying. She patted her on the arm and the female pathologist looked up, almost positively beaming. "That means a lot coming from you"

She looked up when Korsak appeared in the doorway behind her and she walked up to him. "It's him," Jane said and shook her head. A sense of desperation filled her eyes. "Three women; all stabbed to death within the last two weeks. The stab wounds are the same every time. No signs of someone breaking into their apartment. The doors are locked from the outside, which suggest the killer has a key."

"Hey Jane," Maura called and Jane's head whipped around at the sound of the other woman's voice. "Can you come over here a moment?"

Jane reached the side of the bed and shot Maura a sideways glance. "What is it?"

Korsak also reached the bed and looked from the pathologist to the detective and back. It was clear Maura had found something. Jane was fixated on the victim's face. There was a strange, somewhat intrigued look in her eyes. However, Maura was not looking at the victim. She was looking at Jane. And the look in her eyes was something Korsak had never seen before.

"Don't you think she looks like you?" Maura asked unexpectedly and Jane's eyes were torn away from the victim and fixed on Maura's instead.

"Excuse me?"

"The victim," Maura began and pointed at the bloodied woman in the bed. Jane's eyes followed Maura's gloved fingers and her dark eyes narrowed.

"Dr Isles, that is an irrational statement coming from you," Jane said in surprise and looked from Maura to the woman in the bed and back. She failed to see the resemblance Maura had discovered. "She looks nothing like me."

Korsak cocked his head and as Jane glanced at him she felt her heart sink. Whenever he did that he was about to agree with something Maura had said. She hated it when he did that. Her eyes were drawn back to the woman in the bed and she searched her face before grabbing Korsak's notebook from his hand and checking the victim's details.

"Abigail McShane," she mumbled to herself. "She's thirty-seven, works as a manager for an insurance company. Single." She looked up and watched in horror how now both Korsak and Maura were staring at her. "She looks nothing like me. I don't know what you're on, Maura, but this..." She waved the notebook in her hand. "...is not a blueprint of me."

"You know, she does sort of look like you," Korsak said slowly. "Same dark hair, same dark eyes." He paused and shot a few quick glances from Abigail McShane to Jane. He noticed how she had placed her hands warningly on her hips and pierced her dark eyes into his own. He looked back at the victim and continued his observation. "She's tall, slender…"

"I get it, I get it!" Jane suddenly called out and Maura's head snapped up. "So she looks like me but also like about the half of Boston!"

"Actually," Maura began but Jane shot her a warning look and the brunette pathologist instantly fell silent.

"Are we done here?" Jane groaned and turned around on her heels. She heard footsteps behind her and knew Maura had followed her into the living area. She turned around and watched as her friend almost bumped into her. Irritation was clearly visible on Jane's face. "What is it, Maura?"

Maura hesitated for a moment or two before she answered. "Jane, what I said," she began but they were interrupted by a high pitched eerie sound coming from Jane's pocket. The ringtone announcing Angela Rizzoli cut through the silence between them. Jane sighed and yanked her phone from her pocket to push her mother away. She looked back at Maura and grinned.

"You made some pretty erratic observations in there." she said, ignoring Maura's attempt to an apology as she didn't want to hear it. She slowly started for the front door. Maura followed quickly.

"Yes," Maura answered slowly, more to herself than to Jane. An almost confused expression filled her eyes as she followed Jane. "Yes, I did."

~()~

"This can't be a coincidence," Jane said as she and Maura walked onto the homicide the department. "Three women, all with similar physical appearances are found dead in their beds. The doors to their apartments have been locked from the outside. All were stabbed exactly the same way."

"Presumably the same way," Maura corrected her and Jane rolled her eyes. "I have yet to perform an autopsy on the latest victim."

"All right, presumably the same way," Jane said. She slipped into her seat at her desk whilst Maura leant against it. She looked up to her friend and found Maura looking back at her. The bright sparkle in the pathologist eyes almost immediately erased the sense of irritation she has felt over being corrected and she weakly smiled. "So, what else is there?"

Maura's phone bleeped with the announcement of a text message and she checked it. Her face lit up. "The body has arrived in the morgue," she said with a smile that would have disturbed anybody else and she slipped of the desk. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor made Jane look up. Maura turned and looked at Jane, still beaming. "Want to come?"

"I'll pass," Jane said and ran her hands through her hair. She felt tired and her day was far from over. The amount of paperwork that awaited her with the find of the third victim was daunting to say the least and Maura's words echoed through her head. With a sigh she picked up one of the files from the small pile on her desk and opened it. One of the pictures slipped out from between the pages and landed in her lap. She picked it up and looked at it.

Dark eyes narrowed as she looked at the face of the woman who had been their first victim. Her name was Sarah Callahan. They found her in her bed, stabbed to death just over two weeks ago. Jane swallowed hard but the unexpected lump in her throat didn't disappear. She reached for the stack of files again and picked up another. There, on the front page, sat the picture of another woman. Natalie Anderson. She had been victim number two. She smiled; her bright eyes full of life. Right behind it was a picture of her that had been taken when they found her. Her eyes were empty.

"Rizzoli?" Frost called and Jane looked up, quickly putting the files back on her desk. "Check this out!"

She stood up and made her way over to her partner. "What have you got?"

"Remember this?" he asked and waved a piece of paper inside a plastic bag in front of her face. She grabbed it from his hand. A teasing smile lingered on his face as Jane looked at what he had found.

She looked back up at him. "Another one?"

Frost nodded. "Exactly the same one as the ones we found on the other crime scenes. I will have it checked for fingerprints but I am not expecting anything. The others came back blank."

"Has Abigail McShane ever been married?" Jane asked but somehow she already knew the answer. When Frost shook his head she sighed and raised her hands to the sky in desperation and confusion. "So he leaves Bible verses related to adultery with women who are single... This makes no sense."

Frost took the evidence bag from her and Jane watched him walk off to deliver it to the crime scene unit. She sighed and walked back to her desk. She resisted looking at the pictures of the dead women and instead began working out the paperwork that today's case brought along. But as she was writing, she constantly heard Maura's voice in the back of her head.

"_Don't you think she looks like you?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jane met Maura in the morgue later that day. Her friend looked up when she entered the room and sent her a beaming smile. Jane's met her gaze and smiled in return. The air between them filled itself with friendship and mutual understanding. The sight of the cut open body didn't startle Jane and she comfortably leant against the table. Jane spent about as much time in the morgue as Maura did and they had even eaten food whilst discussing the findings of an autopsy.

"Found anything?" she asked. She knew Maura liked to go through her findings with a fine toothed comb. Maura was never one to make assumptions about anything. Jane watched for a moment how Maura's bloodies gloves stitched the Y incision in Abigail McShane's chest. Her eyes were drawn to the woman's face. Now that she was all cleaned up and the traces of make-up had been removed, she looked pale and fragile.

Maura took off her gloves before removing her gown, revealing a different dress than the one Jane had seen her wear at the crime scene. The detective's eyebrows shot up.

"Do you keep a whole wardrobe down here I don't know about?" Jane asked with a smirk.

"It was crinkled," Maura answered rather matter of fact and Jane knew better than to answer. Maura's little oddities were something she had grown used to. She had learnt to appreciate them. It was one of the things she liked about her friend. "The stab wounds were identical to the ones found on the previous two victims. Eleven of them in total, all in exact the same shape, size and location. The killer used the same knife and he has a clear idea about how he inflicts his wounds."

"And he left the same Bible verse too," Jane answered and Maura arched an eyebrow. "This guy has a whole MO of his own but it makes no sense."

Maura leant over the table, briefly placing her hand on Jane's. Their eyes met. It was clear what had happened earlier that day still played on her mind. "Jane, about what I said..."

"Listen, don't worry about it," Jane said, attempting to smile. Her eyes were briefly drawn to the victim's face and her eyes narrowed. The look in her eyes changed and Maura looked from Jane to Abigail McShane. Her hand was still resting on Jane's and she gave it a soft squeeze. Jane's eyes snapped back to Maura. "Okay, maybe you are right. So she does look like me. What difference does it make?"

"It- it doesn't," Maura answered softly and removed her hand. They merely looked at each other, the air between them changing as the seconds ticked away. Maura's eyes never let go of Jane's. The raven haired woman's brown orbs were so deep and intense that even someone as rational as Maura felt like she could drown. When she eventually averted her gaze, she could still feel Jane's eyes rest on her. She turned away and picked up her notes from the autopsy.

Jane's cell phone rang again. Without having to check caller ID Jane knew it was her mother. The ring tone was about as terrifying as Angela Rizzoli herself. With a groan of displeasure Jane answered it.

"What is it, Ma?" she asked rather irritably and shot Maura a look for giggling.

"Ma, I am sure she has something better to do than put up with our family ranting!" Jane said sharply and with a face like a thunderstorm she ended the phone call. She never had been a fan of her mother's check-up calls, but she hated them even more when she was working. There was no other way to describe Angela Rizzoli than a force of nature. Now that she hung up, Jane looked at Maura. Her friend pulled the sheet back up to cover Abigail McShane's body before clearing away her tray of tools.

"Hey Maura, I know you're probably busy doing something freaky related to death or one of your other oddities but, just in case you are, you know, bored, Ma had this crazy idea that perhaps you'd enjoy a Rizzoli dinner this Sunday."

"Apart from a documentary on how they used to perform an autopsy during the 1800's in England I can't think of anything else that would hold my attention," Maura answered bluntly. "I'll come."

"You'll _what_?" Jane asked, suddenly sounding horrified. The idea of Maura becoming a part of the Rizzoli table conversation was slightly worrying to say the least. She suddenly regretted having answered the phone, or even passing alone the message. As much as she liked Maura, somehow she could not imagine her sitting at the Rizzoli table.

"I'll come," Maura repeated. By now she was positively beaming and she took Jane by her arm, leading her towards the door. She turned off the light and locked the door behind her. She turned to look at the dark haired detective. Her eyes were sparkling. "I am sure it will be enlightening."

Jane's eyebrows shot up and her own hand now reaches for Maura's hand resting on her arm. She resisted removing her fingers. Instead they brushed along Maura's and then dropped. "Enlightening?"

"Yes," Maura replied "Your mother is an interesting subject for observation."

Jane pulled a face and pushed open the door that would lead them to the elevator at the end of the corridor. "That's one way of putting it."

~()~

They found Korsak and Frost back at the homicide department. The three pictures of the female victim were stuck on onto a white board, their names and dates of death written below them. Underneath their smiling faces were crime scenes pictures which showed clearly in what way they had been killed. As they approached, Jane swallowed. Now that she saw the three women side by side, their faces seemed so similar. Long, dark hair fell down to their shoulders and their brown eyes all seemed bright, alive and full of fire.

"I can see why they'd say they look like you, Jane," Frost said.

"Or she looks like them," Maura retorted and Jane shook her head.

"Listen, we need to think about this. So far, we have kept it out of the press. As soon as the papers catch wind of this, it will be all over the front pages. And we all know how most serial killers love the attention for their work," Korsak said, cutting short the conversation whether or not the victims resembled Jane. "We have three dead women, all were stabbed to death and all share similar features. All lived alone but their doors were locked from the outside so the killer has a key. None of them victims knew each other. They all had different jobs, went out in different social circles and they live spread out across Boston."

Jane looked at Maura. She was intently listening to Korsak, an intense look in her eyes. From the side, Jane could see the little frown that appeared just above her eyebrows. It happened every time she was thinking about something, trying to connect the pieces. The more she looked at her, the more she saw. Maura was different, to say the least. Never before had Jane known anybody to work a crime scene in a designer dress and high heels. Maura looked like she had escaped from a Vogue photo shoot instead of a morgue. She was quirky and funny but Jane didn't trust anybody else with her life but Maura.

"And again the same Bible verse," Frost stuck the three separate sheets to the white board. They were copies; the originals were still with the crime scene unit.

Maura stepped forward. "_He said to them, ""Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against her_." She turned to look at Jane, Frost and Korsak, triumph flickering in her eyes. "It's from the Bible. Mark10:11, to be exact."

Jane shook her head, though not quite surprised, and a little smile stuck to her lips. "Do you know everything?"

Maura cocked her head. "No."

"So he targets single, dark haired women who live in an apartment," Frost said, bringing them back to the case, and three sets of eyes immediately shot in Jane's direction.

She shook her head and she walked towards the board. "No!" She pointed at the three women and turned to look at the others. She couldn't believe they were actually narrowing this down to her. She ran a hand through her thick hair and sighed. "This serial killer is _not _going to come for me."

"Why not?" Maura asked, her hands now firmly planted on her hips. There were times she would challenge Jane on her assumptions and guesses. It was something she hated and could not do herself. Nor could she understand how Jane could possibly be convinced this serial killer would not target her. It was irrational not to think that he would.

Jane rolled her eyes as she looked at her friend. Almost instantly the scars on her hands began to burn and she rubbed the palms against her pants. It did not make it go away. Dark eyes pierced into Maura's and for a few seconds it felt as if the world just disappeared around them. "Does Hoyt ring a bell to anyone? To become a victim of one serial killer is highly unlikely, but to become a victim of _two_?"

Maura looked defensive and took a step in Jane's direction. "You don't know that!"

"I do," Jane said dismissively and Korsak snorted at her stubbornness. Jane's dark eyes warningly shot from Korsak to Maura and the pathologist cocked her head. Jane's voice became deeper as her eyes pierced into Maura's. "And if you so much as breathe anything about this to my mother, Dr Maura Isles, I will kill you!"

"Watch what you say, Jane," Frost joked. "This _is_ the homicide department."

"Yeah, and we're overloaded with cases as it is," Korsak added with a grin.

Jane ignored their comments and turned back to the board. Her eyes fixed on the three identical bible verses. All of them had been typed and all of them had been found somewhere in the victim's house. The location had been different. The first one had been left on the victim's body, the second one by the front door and the third one on the coffee table. The message had been the same every time.

"He is accusing them of adultery," Jane said, now turning her back on the other three and focusing only on the evidence on the board. "Why?"

Maura watched as Jane looked from the faces of the three women to the crime scene photos and the Bible verses. Her eyes lowered from Jane's shoulders down to her waist line. Her gun rested in its holster against her hip, right beside her batch. She was wearing her favourite pair of black pants and her simple blue t-shirt. Blue brought out the intensity of Jane's eyes, Maura thought. Everything about Jane's posture was controlled.

Jane sighed. "Is he trying to tell us something?"

Maura approached and took a stand beside Jane. She briefly placed a hand on the small of her back and the detective looked at her. Their eyes met and Maura shook her head.

"He was trying to tell them something."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jane closed the door to her apartment behind her and placed the bag of shopping onto the kitchen counter. Her eyes wandered around her apartment. She had neglected to clean up the night before and she regretted that choice now. Leaving the groceries on the side she headed straight for the bedroom, stripped from her slacks and t-shirt and changed into sweatpants and tank top and bound her unruly hair into a ponytail. With a sigh she opened her fridge and pulled up when she realises the Chinese take away she and Maura had shared three nights before was still in there.

A smile spread across her face as she collected the boxes and put them into a plastic bag. She and Maura had come home from work and spent the rest of the night talking about a variety of subjects. The memory of her friend sitting on her sofa flooded back into her mind. Maura had sat with her legs pulled up to her chest in a way that was very Maura-like and yet also seemed very out of place for someone wearing a dress.

Jane instinctively turned towards her sofa, the fridge door still open, and felt a sharp sense of loss when she realised she was alone. With a sigh she took a bottle of beer from the six pack she had just bought, closed the fridge, threw the Chinese food in the garbage and then made her way into the sitting area. She slouched down, as she usually did, and turned on the TV. The annoying jingle of some of TV show filled the room and she looked around for the remote. There, next to yesterday's unread paper, lay a familiar looking earring. A smile spread across Jane's lips as she picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand. Maura had lost it when she had been here a few nights ago. They had spent half an hour looking for it, flipping over the pillows on the couch, but it didn't turn up. And here it was, in her hand.

She rested her head against the back of the sofa and her eyes fluttered shut. Somewhere in the distance she could hear Maura's laughter. It was a sound she had gotten so used to. When her eyes opened the realisation she was alone and that Maura was not sitting beside her made Jane reach for the remote and change the channel. Suddenly the food she had bought for herself seemed a lot less appealing and she picked up her bottle, placed it against her lips and took a large gulp. She used to love the silence and loneliness of her apartment. These days she sometimes almost dreaded going home. Being alone had changed.

Jane's head whipped up when her cell phone buzzed. It was laying on the kitchen counter and the distinctive ringtone told her it was Maura. She leapt to her feet and answered quickly. "Hey Maura."

"Hey, have you eaten yet?" Maura asked casually on the other side of the line and Jane's eyes were drawn to the grocery bag on the counter. If Maura told her she would get them some take out, she could hide it.

"No," she answered, thinking that she could always take it in for lunch tomorrow, or just leave it in the fridge for another three days for it to go off. "Why?"

"Good," Maura answered and Jane could tell from the tone of her voice she was smiling. Automatically, she smiled too. Maura's voice was crisp and clear. "Now, can you let me in please?"

"Can I," Jane said and the words registered in her head. Dark eyes lit up and she shook her head in disbelief. She started for the door, still holding her cell. She quickly peered through the peep hole and recognised Maura. She smiled and reached for the door handle. "You're outside?"

"Hey, at least it's not raining in the corridor," Maura answered at exactly the second the door swung open and the two women stood across each other, holding their cell phones. Jane shook her head, hung up and stepped aside to let Maura in. The pathologist brushed past her, walked into the kitchen and put the take away bag on the counter. Her eyes briefly rested on the bag Jane had brought in for herself but she didn't say anything.

"You know, it's a good thing you didn't turn up ten minutes earlier. Our Chinese from a few nights ago was about to do a runner," Jane said as she put the bag in the fridge and Maura pulled a face. Jane watched in amusement as Maura began to unpack what appeared to be Thai food. The lack of a retort left her surprised and she arched an eyebrow. "What, no comment about the good uses of certain types of mould?"

"I figured it would only bore you," Maura answered without looking up. She was arranging the boxes in a way Jane assumed had meaning to Maura though she failed to see it. She wondered how even after a long day at the morgue Maura still looked like she had escaped from a fashion magazine whereas she always looked like she had been walking around in the same outfit for the past three days.

"Look what I found," Jane said and opened her hand. She watched with a smile how Maura's face lit up when she discovered the earring lying in the palm of her friend's hand. She looked up and their eyes met briefly before Jane handed Maura back the piece of jewellery.

Maura safely put the earring into her purse and then began opening the boxes. "I hope you don't mind but I got Thai instead. Like you said, the Chinese was trying to run off."

"It's fine," Jane answered as she picked some vegetables out of the box and put them into her mouth. Maura watched her in amusement before handing her a fork and Jane smirked. "Damn you and your hygiene obsession." She cocked her head and frowned. "Hang on, why are you _really_ here?"

"I didn't feel like eating alone," Maura answered.

Jane shook her head. "Maura, you eat your lunches surrounded by dead bodies!" She put down the fork and crossed her arms. "Did you bring your pyjamas?"

"No," Maura answered softly, without making eye contact.

Jane openly laughed at Maura's answer and watched how the pathologist's cheeks instantly reddened. Maura's attempt of deception was as see through as a piece of glass. "You don't lie, Dr Isles."

Maura was about to answer something in return when their cell phones began buzzing almost simultaneously, interrupting the conversation between them. Both women looked at the caller ID's and Jane groaned "Frost" whilst Maura rolled her eyes and sighed "Korsak".

"Rizzoli," Jane answered her phone whilst Maura left hers to ring out. Both had the bad feeling they would be unable to enjoy their Thai food for very long. Looking at it was about as much pleasure as they were going to get. Jane's eyes fixed on Maura's face. Her friend stared at her expectantly and Jane didn't need to guess to know what Maura was thinking. It was exactly the same as what she was thinking.

"We have another one," Frost said on the other side of the line and Jane's hand slammed down on the counter in frustration. "Two victims in less than two days. He's on a roll."

"Make that a spree. One that leaves a lot of dead bodies," Jane answered and when Frost gave her the address her face darkened. She hung up and she looked at Maura. She had already put her coat on, picked up her purse and was now searching for her car keys. Jane grabbed a zip up coat from one of the chairs, put it on and met Maura's gaze. "Come on, I don't think we are granted dinner tonight. Oh and you won't need your keys."

~()~

"Well, that was the first time I could walk to a crime scene," Jane sighed as she entered the apartment building. Just before crossing the small, narrow hall way leading to the staircase she turned around in the door way. She could just about see her own building. Maura, who had been talking to one of the police officers, now reached her and she too turned around and realised what Jane was looking at.

"Now do you mind me bringing my pyjamas?" she asked and turned to look at Jane. "This is one block from your apartment, Jane!"

"Really?" Jane answered and shook her head. She sighed and headed for the staircase. Maura followed and it only took them a few minutes to reach the third floor. The victim's apartment was the first one they saw. The dimly lit corridor was riddled with uniformed police officers. A few doors down a dog was barking at all the noise. Jane and Maura signed in and then both of them entered the apartment.

"Nothing we haven't seen before," Korsak said cynically as the two women walked into the living area. "Dark haired female, mid-thirties, several stab wounds. And we found this..." He held up a piece of paper, bagged in an evidence bag. "The verse is the same too." He shook his head. "Before he used to kill twice a week. Now he has killed twice in thirty six hours."

"He's in some downward spiral," Maura said, looking at Jane. She couldn't shake the haunting feeling of fear. It was irrational and she knew it. She swallowed and focused on this particular moment in time. "His behaviour is escalating. Something triggered his anger. These women mean something to him. Someone he knows, or used to know." She paused. "And he hates her. He hates her with every cell of his being. Whoever she is, he is killing her over and over again."

"You have realised this is only one block from your apartment, have you, Jane?" Korsak asked and Jane rolled her eyes.

"Not you as well!" she exclaimed and made a desperate hand gesture into the air. "What, do you pair plan to crash on my couch together?"

Maura's head whipped up and she stared at Jane in shock. "I can't sleep in your bed?"

"She sleeps in your bed?" Korsak looked from Jane to Maura.

"We've got prints!" Frost's excited voice came from the bedroom and the three people in the living room instantly turned and headed in his direction. They found Frost on his knees by the bedside table. A CSI was taking picture of what seemed to be two clear, perfect prints on the edge. Maura, unable to hide her excitement about some solid scientific evidence, let out a soft and excited squeal.

Jane walked around the bed and her dark eyes fixed on the bloodied face of their victim. A strand of black hair covered her eyes and Jane leant over to gently brush it aside. As she did so, a memory snapped back into her head and for a brief second she felt the sharp pain of the scalpel piercing her skin and her muscles. In that one moment she remembered Hoyt exactly as he had been; demonic and evil. She clenched her fists as the pain returned and she could feel the sensation of the warm blood trickling down her fingers.

"Jane, is everything all right?" Korsak asked as he turned around and found Jane looking at the victim.

"Something's different here," Jane said slowly, her eyes still fixed on the woman's face. She had let the strand of hair run through her fingers and narrowed her eyes. "Her hair." She looked up to Maura. "Maura, could you look at this, please?"

Maura also walked around the bed and leant in to examine the victim closer. "Could someone hand me some gloves?"

Frost handed her a pair, she slipped them on and then she slowly parted some of the victim's hair near her scalp and she cast Jane a sideways glance. She nodded in agreement. "Jane's right. There is a difference here. The first three victims were natural brunettes. This one isn't. Her hair has been dyed. It looks like she's a natural brunette but I can clearly see the roots." She pulled her hand back and carefully pulled back the covers and lifted up the victim's shirt. "Pattern of stab wounds appears similar to the other victims. There are no other irregularities."

"So how come he left prints this time?" Frost asked, pointing at the table. "He never did before."

"Either he was in a rush and became sloppy and made a mistake or he believes that we can't find him," Jane answered and her dark eyes caught Maura's. "Let's hope it's that first one."

~()~

"Do I really have to sleep on your couch?" Maura asked as Jane closed the door behind them. She was now carrying the bag she had left in the boot of her car when she had turned up with the Thai food. Both women automatically turned towards the counter. The opened boxes stood sad and lonely, staring at them.

"Only if you don't promise me never to try and lie again," Jane grinned and wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulder and briefly pulled her closer. Maura nodded and Jane laughed. "You know the way."

Maura disappeared into her bedroom and Jane sadly began to clear away the uneaten Thai food. She resisted putting it in the fridge, knowing the way Maura felt about foods and how long they should be kept. She emptied them in the garbage bin and quickly washed up the dirty coffee cup and plate from that morning. She barely noticed Maura coming out of her bedroom, dressed in bright purple satin pyjamas. But as she looked up and found the brunette sitting on her couch, a smile spread across her lips.

The sight of Maura sitting so comfortably was something she enjoyed. Maura spent so much time here these days that it felt almost empty and lonely when she wasn't here. Jane leant against the counter, her eyes fixed on her friend who now studied the TV guide as if it were an interesting science book. Jane's eyes drifted from Maura's wavy brown hair with golden shine down to her shoulders and neckline before making their way back up to her face. Her eyes glistened even now that it was late and she still looked perfect as she was about to go to bed.

Maura was amazing in her own way, Jane thought. Her socially awkwardness made her adorable most times and Jane actually loved the way she said the most random things at exactly the wrong moment. It was what made Maura so unique. They had been friends for some time. Jane had forgotten exactly how long. She was horrible with remembering dates. Most years she would forget her birthday, were it not for others throwing her a party.

"What are you looking at?" Maura had put the TV guide down and now looked over the back of the couch at Jane.

_You. _

"Nothing," Jane answered quickly and felt her cheeks redden slightly. Suddenly she was grateful the kitchen was only dimly lit and she forced herself to smile. "You ready for bed?"

Maura stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. As she stretched, Jane found her eyes wandering from the muscles in Maura's neck down to the small cleavage of her top. Upon realising what she was doing, she quickly averted her eyes and started for the bedroom. Maura was on her heels and briefly took Jane's hand into her own. Her eyes were glistening.

"Do you mind if I meditate?" she asked.

Jane smirked as she pulled back the covers of the bed and let herself fall down onto the soft mattress. She looked at Maura who almost gracefully lay down beside her. She turned to look at her and her dark eyes twinkled with amusement. "If it stops you from snoring, I don't care what you do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sunlight came streaming through the window. Maura's eyes slowly opened and she blinked a few times against the bright light. For just a few seconds she felt disorientated. The sheets under which she was lying were not her own. As realisation about her whereabouts dawned on her, she turned her head and realised Jane was still asleep beside her. The raven haired detective lay on her side, one hand hidden under her pillow and the other only an inch from Maura's arm. Slim fingers nearly touched her skin. Maura resisted touching her. It would only wake her.

Maura looked at Jane's face. There were only very few times that Jane appeared so relaxed. Maura knew how the nightmares plagued her, though Jane would rarely admit to it. Maura would see the dark circles appear underneath her eyes. These days she did not point them out anymore. She knew that Jane knew. Maura's eyes slowly followed the shape of Jane's face. She had a powerful and strong bone structure, something that Maura admired greatly. Jane's thick, dark hair fell like a curtain down the side of her face and rested on her shoulders. Her chest was rising and falling steadily and Maura's lips curled up into a gentle smile. Watching Jane sleep was almost more peaceful than meditation.

As she looked at Jane's features, suddenly the images of the dead women flashed through Maura's head, blurring the face of Jane into their own. Maura's eyes widened in shock and she moved herself a little further away from her friend. Her eyes fixed on the detective's face, almost desperate to hold on to it and make the images in her head go away. The faces of the women turned into Jane and her empty eyes stared back at from the autopsy table. Maura's heart suddenly hammered in her chest and a gut wrenching feeling made her feel sick.

She recognised the symptoms of fear and it startled her. Very few things frightened her. She was surrounded by death on a daily basis. It was something that frightened most other people. And Maura always managed to rationalise everything. But now... now Maura was afraid. And as she looked at Jane's relaxed features, she did not understand why.

She had been frightened when Hoyt had returned to terrorise Jane. The night Jane had arrived at her place and slept in her bed, she had been frightened then. She had seen the dark shadows form under eyes filled with determination back then. Often, without even realising it, Maura found her eyes being drawn to the scars on Jane's hands and she would feel a sense of guilt, of pain, she couldn't explain. She knew she could never tell Jane. She wouldn't want to hear it. Jane didn't like to admit her own weaknesses. Having felt so afraid, so broken, had left her even more determined never to let it happen again.

Maura searched Jane's face. The resemblance to the victims was unmistakable. As she followed the lines of Jane's nose and jaw, Maura attempted to understand why it bothered her so much that these women looked like her friend. She was not often the one to let crime scenes get to her, that was more of a Jane thing. But this was different. She had almost lost Jane to Hoyt. The mere thought of what had happened terrified her. It brought back the harsh, palpable fear she had experienced then. The same fear grabbed hold of her now. She could not bear the thought of losing Jane. She was afraid. Maura Isles was never afraid. She had never allowed herself to be. But now she was.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to stare?" groaned Jane, peering at Maura through her eyelashes.

"Sorry," Maura muttered and averted her eyes, worried Jane could see she the fear reflecting in them. Like Jane, she too was never one to gladly admit her weaknesses.

Jane's eyes now fully opened and she propped herself up on her elbow, resting her head in the palm of her hand. She seemed unusually alert from someone who had just awoken from their slumber. "What were you looking at anyway? Please don't tell me I was drooling."

"Excessive salivation is very often due to posture or illness," Maura said, her eyes making contact with Jane's. The darker haired woman stared at her in a mixture of amusement and fascination. "Though it does not generally pose a problem."

"All right Dr Wikipedia, enough with the science lesson," Jane smirked and Maura sent her a look. But Jane brushed along the corners of her mouth anyway, just to be sure, before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and placing her feet on the floor. She turned around, looking at Maura sitting in her bed. It was an image she had gotten so used to. A playful smile lingered on her lips. "I'm on call today but Frost said he'd handle the paperwork for the last victim. Got any plans?"

Maura looked at her and Jane wondered why it always looked like she was beaming. The brunette pathologist shook her head. "No. No plans."

Jane nodded and pulled a face. Today was Sunday and tonight Maura would join them for dinner. "Good. Because I know you have met my parents but when it comes to a family meal at the Rizzoli's, I think there are a few things you need to know."

"They seem pretty harmless to me," Maura arched an eyebrow, her eyes still fixed on Jane. There was something about her as she stood in the early morning sunlight, dressed in her sweatpants and tank top and with her hair an even unrulier mess than normal. Something that could almost be described as endearing.

Jane looked at Maura. "You _have_ met my mother, right? The words 'harmless' and 'Angela Rizzoli' do not go together."

Maura smiled as she too slipped out of the bed and walked around to approach Jane. She placed a hand on her arm "I am sure everything will be fine. You have seen where I come from; you know how I hold myself during dinner."

Jane suppressed a giggle as she experienced the recollection of the last time she joined Maura and her high society friends. "That's what worries me."

"Now, do I meet you there or will you pick me up?" Maura said and Jane looked at her in surprise. Clearly she had not expected Maura to leave. "What, you expected me to stay here? Jane, I can't possibly turn up at your parents' house in a dress I wore yesterday!" Jane was about to interrupt her but Maura was quicker and shook her head. "And no, I will not wear something out of your closet because you have nothing to wear!"

"Maura Isles, did you just allow a sense of humour to sneak into that prodigious brain of yours?" Jane asked with a smirk and Maura's eyes glistened with triumph and amusement. "I'll see you at my parent's place at five. There's a game on." She watched how Maura picked her neatly folded clothes and started for the bathroom. When the door closed behind her, Jane sighed and turned back to the now empty bed. Though it wasn't exactly as empty as she thought. Joe Friday's head appeared from under the duvet and Jane smirked. She climbed back into the bed and Joe jumped on top of her. As she rolled over, her fingers brushed against the pillow Maura had been sleeping on. She rested her head on it and picked up the scent of Maura's perfume. She smiled as her fingers caressed the cover.

~()~

Jane arrived at her parents' place just after four o'clock. She knew Angela would not waste a single opportunity to once again remind her how she was wasting her life away being a detective and how she was missing out on the important things in life like a husband and children. She would rather get it over with before Maura arrived. It was embarrassing at the best of times.

"Did you bring the beer?" Frankie asked as she walked in and she held up two six packs. Her brother hugged her in approval before taking the bottles off her and walked into the living room from where she could hear the commentator's voice. She called after him.

"Make sure there is some left by the time I get to join you!"

"Oh Jane, why do you always have to watch those stupid things with them?" Angela said. She had appeared from the kitchen and looked at her daughter from head to toe. Jane was dressed in her comfortable slacks, a t-shirt and her jacket. She knew her mother was looking for her gun and badge and Jane quickly covered her hip. When she met her mother's gaze she shook her head.

"I'm on call, Ma," she defended herself but Angela rolled her eyes. Jane knew it was a fight she would never win. Her mother had made up her mind about her job the day she had started at the Academy. "What's for dinner?"

"Homemade lasagne, Rizzoli style," Angela answered and Jane's face lit up. Her mother could be a pain in the ass but she was a good cook. Angela was about to walk back into the kitchen when she suddenly turned around and looked at Jane. "Maura isn't a vegetarian, is she?"

"No, Ma," Jane answered with a smile. She followed her mother into the kitchen and leant against the doorframe, casually pushing her hands into the pockets of her pants. The smell of the lasagne made her stomach rumble. "Anything I can do to help?"

Angela shot her daughter a look and Jane knew the answer before her mother even spoke. "You come with a warning label, Jane. 'Do not place in kitchen'. Go join your father and Frankie" The contradiction with her earlier comment made Jane smirk. "What time will Maura get here?"

"I told her to be here for five," Jane answered and she checked her watch. It was twenty past four. She looked back up to find Angela looking at her. Something about her intense stare made even Jane feel uncomfortable and she smirked. "This means anytime between now and then, really. Maura hates being late."

She had barely said the words or there was a knock on the front door. Since there was nobody coming out of the living room, her father and Frankie Jr were having a fierce debate about one of the players, and Angela had already returned back to the lasagne, Jane left the kitchen and opened the front door. Maura stood outside, clearly looking a little bit uncomfortable. She looked up when Jane opened the door and her eyes lit up, a smile appearing on her face. Their gazes met and Jane smiled too.

"Is your watch fast, Dr Isles?" she asked as she stepped aside to let Maura in. Her friend filed past her, into the hallway and turned around to watch Jane close the front door. Jane's eyes quickly scanned Maura from head to toe and discovered she was wearing one of her favourite dresses. It was a deep shade of burgundy that brought out the intensity of Maura's eyes. Jane had once made a comment about liking the dress. Maura had clearly remembered. She wore matching shoes, a black jacket and carried an expensive handbag. The price tag for the bag alone was probably higher than Jane's monthly pay check.

Maura arched an eyebrow. "I don't like being late."

Jane smiled and took her friend by the arm. "Come on, the game is about to start."

"Game?" Maura asked, clearly not quite understanding what Jane meant.

"Celtics," Jane explained and Maura nodded. She followed Jane into the living room, where Frank Rizzoli and Frankie Jr were sipping from their beer bottles. The debate about one of the players had died down and they had lost their focus, as the commercials had taken over. Both looked up when Maura followed Jane into the room and Frankie Jr smiled. He and Maura saw each other often enough in and around the precinct and she was no stranger to Frank either.

"Hey Maura," the two men greeted her and she sent them a smile.

Angela appeared from out of the kitchen and Maura turned to greet her. Her eye instantly fell on the large kitchen knife in Angela's hand and Maura's eyes nervously shot up to Jane. Jane couldn't contain her laughter and slipped her arm around Maura's shoulder, pulling her closer. Maura pressed herself safely against Jane's slender frame, looking for that familiar sense of security and safety she always got whenever she was close to her.

"Don't worry, she isn't going to kill you," Jane reassured her, still giggling. Maura didn't seem quite sure and Jane looked at her mother. Though wielding a knife, Angela did not appear particularly murderous. Jane's fine shaped eyebrows shot up. "Right, Ma?"

"I was just wondering whether anyone could lend me a hand in the kitchen? I am trying to make this salad but there is too much stuff to cut and I only have two hands," Angela asked but she lost everybody's attention but Maura's as soon as the commercials ended. Jane walked around the couch, ignoring her mother's question, and planted herself firmly in between her father and her brother before picking up one of the beer bottles and placing it against her lips. It was clear that she had no intentions of helping her mother.

Maura seemed slightly lost and almost desperately looked at Angela. "I can help."

She followed Angela into the kitchen and sniffed as she walked in. She curiously looked at Jane's mother. "What is that delightful smell?"

"Lasagne," Angela answered and glanced at Maura. The contrast between her and Jane was striking and there were times she wondered how the two of them had ever struck up a friendship. But Maura seemed eager to help her out and Angela smiled. "Would you mind making the salad?"

"Caesar, Niçoise or Waldorf?" Maura questioned as she picked up the knife.

Angela shot her a puzzled look. "Just a salad will do."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I am so very grateful for all the reviews so far. They mean a lot to me, since this is my first Rizzoli & Isles. Also, to read that you guys think I got some of Maura's naive comments completely spot on and, to celebrate that, here is another one.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Maura put the final hand to the salad, organising the slices of tomatoes in a neat circle on top of the lettuce and other vegetables in the bowl. Behind her, Angela had just taken the lasagne out of the oven and organised the plates, ready to serve. Just as she was about to cut through the lasagne, a loud cheer rose from the living room and startled Maura, who looked up in confusion. She shot a look in the direction of the living room, looking bewildered, before looking over her shoulder at Angela.

Angela met Maura's gaze and her eyes narrowed in a way that Jane would have considered alarming, however Maura was completely unaware of the danger that particular look could pose. Angela put down the knife and leant back against the counter and observed Maura's perfectionism as she rearranged the tomatoes because they were not to her taste. Her question came out of the blue. "So, Maura, why do you think Jane is still single?"

"Come on Ma, you know what Jane's like," Frankie Jr had appeared in the doorway and overheard his mother's question. Angela looked at him in frustration, knowing that her son always sided with Jane. She disagreed with both their career choices. Angela then glanced at Maura in expectation but the pathologist was still rearranging her vegetables, and appeared to not have heard the question.

Frankie leant against the doorframe and a grin of amusement lingered on his face. "She never was very good with sleepovers."

"I never noticed that when I slept with her."

Angela's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and she turned to look at Maura. "Ex-excuse me?"

Maura looked up, clearly unaware of the way her words sounded. She suddenly registered the stunned expressions on both Angela's and Frankie's face and slowly the meaning of her words began to dawn on her. She laughed and stopped moving the sliced of tomato around. Her laugh became more nervous as she allowed herself to meet Angela's eyes.

"Oh no," she said and clumsily looked around. "That's _not _what I meant. What I meant was, Jane and I do not sleep together. I mean, we sleep over sometimes. At each other's place but never..." Her voice trailed off as Jane walked into the kitchen as well. The raven haired woman looked from her brother to her mother to Maura and registered the awkwardness of the situation. "…Like that."

"What's going on?" Jane asked suspiciously, her eyes now fixed on Maura's reddening face.

Maura focused on the suddenly rather interesting chopping board and tried to ignore the warm feeling of her cheeks turning an intense shade of scarlet. "Nothing."

"Maura was just explaining to us the reasons why you are still single," Frankie laughed and looked at his mother, who was now staring at Jane and Maura with clear suspicion. "And she was doing it Maura-style."

"Jesus, Maura," Jane sighed desperately and rolled her eyes. She attempted to catch Maura's gaze and when she caught it, her dark eyes pierced into Maura's. "What the hell did you say to her?"

"Nothing!" Maura answered in her defence and looked at Jane. "Why do you always assume I did something?"

Jane pulled a face. "Because you usually have and are never aware of it."

"I know exactly which words leave my mouth!" Maura fired back.

"Then I suggest you use your intelligence and recite to me _exactly _what it was you told my mother," Jane dared her and Maura walked away from the counter and approached Jane.

"Did we miss the invite or something?" Frank Rizzoli also appeared into the kitchen and looked from Jane to Maura and both of them now looked up at him in confusion. Frank shrugged. "Listen to the pair of you! You argue like an old married couple!"

"We do not!" the two women answered simultaneously and turned to each other in shock.

Jane pulled a face. "OK, maybe we do. But that doesn't change anything about the fact that Maura probably said something ridiculous to Ma." She paused and looked at Angela, who was staring at Jane intently. "I mean, look at the way she's looking at me!"

"I always look at you this way," Angela answered defensively and shook her head. The others in the kitchen shared looks of amusement, though Jane was still not convinced no damage was done. Angela sighed. "Now can we just sit down and have our dinner. This whole thing is very confusing."

~()~

The Rizzoli dinner passed in relative peace. Angela had reminded Jane and Frankie not to talk about work and both siblings promised they would not be discussing any open cases. Angela had then turned to Maura and sharply reminded she also did not wish to hear any anecdotes about dead bodies and Maura had meekly answered she wouldn't speak about her job. Instead Jane, Frankie and Frank debated the results of the Celtic game, leaving Maura to eat her dinner in relative silence. She only very rarely responded to something that was said and when Jane glanced beside her, she thought she could sense that Maura felt uncomfortable.

The table had been cleared and Frankie Jr was helping his mother wash up. Frank had retired to the living room and Jane suddenly realised that Maura was nowhere to be seen. She walked through the hall and out of the front door, to find Maura standing on the grass, looking out into the quiet road. She looked up when she heard Jane approach and glanced over her shoulder.

"Hey," she smiled and took a deep breath when Jane's hand briefly rested on the small of her back.

Jane met Maura's eyes and quickly realised something in the pathologist's demeanour had changed. "What are you doing out here?"

Maura shrugged. "Thinking."

"You are always thinking, Maura," Jane answered kindly and her hand slipped up from Maura's back to her arm and gently squeezed her hand. She cocked her head and the look in her dark eyes softened. It wasn't very often that she found Maura distracted about something. Elements of the case did not frequently play on Maura's mind outside of work. She possessed the capability to switch off, something that Jane lacked. "What's on your mind?"

"Never mind," Maura avoided answering the question directly and Jane's eyes narrowed. When she saw the change in Jane's looks she sighed. "The case."

"We'll get him, Maura," Jane reassured her, assuming that that was the thought that played on Maura's mind and then she sighed. "I just hope we can do it before he kills someone else."

Maura cast Jane a sideways glance. She knew that look. It was the look of someone who had sunken their teeth into something and would not let go until the case had been solved. Jane had been like this when it came to Hoyt. Now that same look had reappeared in her eyes. There was a trace of hope in Maura's voice when she spoke. "Have you heard anything from Frost?"

Jane shook her head and sighed. "Nothing yet. This guy is like a ghost, Maura. Somehow I doubt we are going to find anything. We need to get into this guy's head." She paused and swallowed hard. The look in her eyes hardened and she stared into the falling darkness. She rubbed her left hand with her right, tracing the scar. "Like we did with Hoyt."

"Jane, if you think that perhaps we should pass this case on to another detective," Maura suggested and Jane's eyes snapped in her direction. Almost instantly Maura regretted the choice of her words and she attempted to rephrase herself. Maura's heart hammered in her chest and the back of her throat became dry. "I am not saying you can't handle it but you said it yourself. _Hoyt_."

"I am not afraid, Maura," Jane answered firmly and she clenched her jaw. It was a trait Maura knew well. It was Jane showing her defensive side, blocking out her emotions. Maura had seen her do it in the past. "I have allowed fear to control me once before and look where it got me." She raised her hands in front of her so both of them could see her scars. Maura resisted touching Jane's hands, tracing the scars with the tips of her fingers. Jane looked at her friend. "I am not afraid."

Maura sighed. "I am."

Jane was about to say something in return when the sharp ringing of her cell phone interrupted them. She dug her phone out of her pocket, glanced at the caller ID and it read FROST. She looked at Maura before answering. The female pathologist met her gaze. Jane's eyes were filled with hope and a sense of desperation.

"Rizzoli, okay, we'll be right there." She hung up and looked at Maura, who was already rummaging through her handbag looking for her car keys. Jane smiled in amusement, already being able to predict how her mother was going to respond to the news she had been called in. "Time to say goodbye to Ma."

~()~

They walked into the precinct a little while later and met Frost and Korsak standing by the white board. They looked up when Jane and Maura arrived and Jane shot both of them a look. It looked like the two detectives had been here for most of the day. A half-eaten pepperoni pizza lay abandoned in its box on Korsak's desk.

"It's Sunday. Don't you guys have families to go to or something?"

"If we did we'd all end up like you, Rizzoli," Frost answered and Jane stuck out her tongue.

Maura approached the board. A snapshot of the fingerprints taken at the crime scene had been placed strategically in the centre of the four victims, all connected with arrows. A frown appeared on her forehead as she studied their faces. She had seen them all, lying naked in front of her. She had seen them in a way nobody wished anybody would want to be seen. As soon as the scalpel had cut through their flesh they had become less of a person and more of a subject. But as she stood here, looking into their faces as they had been when they were alive, they became real people. She looked over her shoulder at Jane and was reminded of the time she had stood here, talking about Hoyt and what he would do to Jane. She couldn't go through that again.

"So what do have?" Jane asked as she walked towards Maura.

"Still waiting for the results from CSU," Korsak answered and Jane looked at him.

"You made them work on a Sunday?"

"Those guys don't have weekends."

"Because we force them to work," Jane shook her head and glanced back at the board. Frustration laced her voice and she looked from one victim to the next. She hoped she would not find a fifth picture up on the board soon. "How long does it take to trace a set of prints? Why is it taking so long?"

"We were thinking about getting the press involved," Frost began and Maura responded.

"Many serial killers like to admire their work. They find a sense of gratification in it," she began and slowly started pacing around the room. Jane followed her with her eyes. "He is different. He is not a sexual sadist. The women have not been sexually assaulted. There is not a single sexual aspect to his MO, everything he does is centred around rage and the fact he is accusing them of adultery."

"Why stab his victims eleven times?" Frost asked. "Why is the number eleven so relevant? He has to be cool and collected to count the amount of times he is stabbing his victim."

"The first stab wound is the heart," Maura said. She had reached Jane's desk and her eyes looked at the items that had accumulated there for the past few days. Jane had the terrible habit of not putting stuff away. "It is fatal. All the other wounds are post mortem." Her voice trailed off and her eyes glazed over. She turned back, staring at the board. "Eleven."

"Maura?" Jane questioned, noticing the change in the pathologist's behaviour. "What is it?"

"It is often thought there are a lot of meanings behind numbers in the Bible," Maura said and walked back to the white board. She pointed at the pictures of the dead women. "They were all stabbed eleven times and the killer leaves a Bible verse about adultery with each of them. Eleven is the number that is, amongst other things, associated with Jezebel."

"Jezebel?" Korsak asked.

Jane nodded in understanding. "The Whore of Babylon. Didn't you go to Sunday school as a kid?"

"Do I look like I did?" Frost asked and Jane raised her eyebrows. "Don't answer that."

"The number eleven is also associated with Judgement and Disorder," Maura continued and pointed at the printed Bible verses on the board. Jane had now walked up to her and seemed to know what she had seen. The connection had been made. "What if our killer is not killing these women at random? What if he is killing the same woman over and over again?"

Jane looked at Maura. "I thought you didn't like sentences that started with "what if"?"

Maura met Jane's gaze. "I don't. But I don't see another alternative, do you?"

Jane looked back at the four dead women. "No."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I owe a big thank you to my wife, who "forced" me to write this story and has been a great part of the plot developing the way it does. She is the one who, in broad lines, designed the plot - I created the killer and his personality and reasons for killing (yes, that *does* worry me). So, dear readers, with things changing slowly, we start this chapter with a quote from the notorious Charles Hoyt himself, spoken to Jane in episode one when he has her captured in the back of the van. I remind you, brace yourself for what is to come in the near future.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_"You let your heart rule your head"_  
_~Charles Hoyt_

Maura looked at Jane from the corner of her eye. The raven haired detective sat at her desk, rummaging through her paperwork in a desperate attempt to find something she had obviously lost. The frustration become more obvious at Jane began throwing some of the papers to the floor in anger and raised her hands in defeat. Dark, intense eyes fixed on Maura, who was sitting on a chair beside her desk. She had been reading one of the CSU reports until Jane's outburst got her attention.

"Hey hey," Maura said calmly, leaning forward to pick up the scattered papers. She put them back on Jane's desk and allowed her eyes to meet Jane's. The dark haired detective looked flushed and angry. Maura placed her hands on Jane's arm. "What's wrong?"

"This!" Jane exclaimed and pointed at her desk. To any other it looked like a chaos of paperwork but Jane knew she could still find everything she was looking for. It was the one quality that she actually liked about herself. She was messy but she could still find everything. She shook her head. "I keep looking at it and I can't find anything we could possibly have missed!"

Maura cocked her head and smiled. "Come on, we have been here too long. Let's get out of here before they bring in another pizza."

Jane looked at her friend, her eyes suddenly alive with amusement. "But I like pizza."

"I'll make you one," Maura promised her quickly and put the file she had been reading on Jane's desk. She stood up, brushed some invisible dust from her black and white dress and smiled. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Jane asked as she stood up too and did not bother to organise the paperwork mess. It would still be there in the morning, just like most days. She took her jacket from the back of her chair, swung it over her shoulders and followed Maura out of the department. Just as they walked through the door, Frost and Korsak returned. Frost was carrying another pizza box.

"What, you couldn't afford to have it delivered?" Jane asked as they walked past them and Frost turned as she elbowed him into his side in passing.

"We left off the anchovies. Just the way you like it," he smiled, waving the box under her nose. The scent penetrated Jane's nose, she could smell the melted cheese and meat and she felt her stomach rumble. Her mother's lasagne had been amazing but she could always find room for a slice of pizza. It was her comfort food of choice, besides chocolate ice cream with peanuts and whipped cream.

"Jane," Maura said sharply and Jane tore her eyes away from the delightful smelling pizza box and looked at the brunette detective. Maura's eyes glistened intensely and they shared a look of understanding. "It's time to go home now."

~()~

"I thought you said we were going home?" Jane asked when she realised Maura had pulled up outside her place instead of Jane's apartment building. She looked beside her and watched how Maura turned off the engine. "Hey, you didn't tell me I was sleeping over. I didn't bring my toothbrush!"

Maura shrugged. "You can have one of mine."

"One of yours?" Jane arched an eyebrow and stared at Maura in amazement. "How many toothbrushes do you have exactly?"

Maura got out of the car and turned around and looked at Jane who was still sitting in her seat. A fine shaped eyebrow shot up and the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile. "Enough. Now, are you getting out or do I have to drag your behind inside?"

Jane sighed and got out of the car. She knew that once an idea had formed in Maura's mind, there was little else she could do to change it. She followed Maura inside and the two of them walked into the kitchen. Maura opened one of her cupboards, took out two glasses and picked a bottle of wine from the rack on the kitchen counter. She removed the cork, poured two glasses and watched for a few seconds how the intense of shade of burgundy formed a sharp contrast against the glass and the white of her kitchen cupboards. She picked up the glasses and passed one to Jane, ignoring the look the dark haired woman gave her when she stared at the content of her glass. Jane was a beer drinker, not a wine girl.

"Maura, why didn't you just take me back to my place?" Jane asked. They had driven to the department in Maura's car after having left the Rizzoli residence and Maura had promised to take her home after. Jane briefly wondered if Maura had forgotten about that but when she saw the look in the pathologist's eyes she knew Maura had not forgotten at all.

Maura walked out of the kitchen and into the living area. Jane followed her, her eyes briefly wondering around the room. Though Maura had been raised in a world completely different than Jane's, there was something about the warm atmosphere that made Jane feel at home. The decoration of the house clearly showed Maura's wealthy background but Jane had never once felt it bothered her. She walked around the couch and sat down beside Maura, pulling both her legs up underneath her. She put her glass down on the table and looked at her friend.

"Maura, what's wrong?" she questioned when she noticed Maura remained unusually quiet.

Maura stared into her wine, her slim fingers caressing the shape of the glass. "People are worried, Jane."

"About me and the killer?" Jane questioned harshly and Maura's eyes snapped up. They shared a look of confusion and the horrible image of Angela Rizzoli standing outside her apartment with a pillow under her arm flooded back into Jane's mind. "Maura, please tell me you didn't talk to my mother!"

"I didn't say anything to your mother," Maura answered and peered at Jane through her eyelashes. Something about her demeanour changed and Jane would almost think she looked shy. "Well, not technically anyway. But Jane, you have to understand."

"I know everybody is going on about Hoyt," Jane said and picked up her glass. She took a large gulp from her wine, larger than she probably should have done, and enjoyed the sensation of the alcohol finding its way down her throat. It quickly warmed her veins and erased some of the uncomfortable feelings she had experienced throughout the day. "And I understand that, Maura." Jane looked down at her hands. The scars sat prominent on her skin. "But this has nothing to do with me."

"I know that," Maura admitted and Jane's dark eyes narrowed. "I know that, Jane."

"Coincidences happen," Jane said, looking at the pathologist. "I know it is hard to admit as a scientist but this serial killer does not have his eye on me. Whoever he is, he is killing the same woman over and over again."

Maura nodded and put down her wine glass. "I'm sorry, Jane. I don't know what I was thinking."

"We all have cases that get to us, Maura. Some more than others," Jane cocked her head, a little smile lingering on her lips. "This must be the one for you."

Maura sighed and shook her head. "Cases don't normally get to me, Jane."

"We all have one, Maura. It's what makes us human."

Maura glanced at Jane. "So I am not a Cyborg after all?"

Jane smirked. "Since we have now established that I am not the killer's target, can I still sleep here?"

~()~

Jane had changed into a pair of Maura's silk pyjamas and had bound her hair into a loose ponytail. The material felt cold and uncomfortable against her flesh and when she walked out of the bedroom and found Maura sitting on the couch, she pulled a face. Maura looked up when Jane appeared and her face lit up.

"They suit you," she commented.

"It feels like they are strangling me," Jane answered and pulled the fabric away from her skin. A deep frown appeared on her forehead as she strode towards the couch and fell down beside Maura, who was wearing identical pyjamas but in s shade of cobalt blue. She attempted to pull up her legs but the fabric was too constricted and she resulted in stretching her legs and one of her arms snaked over the back rest of the sofa and behind Maura's shoulders. It was an innocent gesture but Maura looked up and their eyes met.

"What?" Jane asked curiously. She didn't even wait for an answer and her eyes fixed on the TV. A movie was about to start and she reached for the remote quicker than Maura could so her friend could not change the channel and replace the thriller for a medical documentary.

Maura rested her head against the couch back rest and tried not to look at Jane. She could not shed the uncomfortable feeling that had haunted her ever since this case began. She cast a quick sideways glance at Jane, who was now engrossed in the opening scenes of the movie. She no longer saw the dead women in her friend's face as she looked at her, but the thought, the mere idea, that she could be the next on the list terrified her still. She sighed and moved her head, only to realise it was now resting against Jane's arm. She looked at the raven haired detective the same moment Jane chose to look at her.

"Sorry," Maura whispered quickly and moved. She picked up her wine for something else to focus on and placed the cold glass against her lips. Jane was still looking at her and when Maura put the glass down, Jane's dark eyes caught hers.

"Maura, what's wrong?" she questioned but Maura shook her head.

"I just have a headache," Maura answered and rubbed her temples. "I think I am going to bed" She stood up and looked down at Jane. "You know the way, right?"

Jane smiled and watched as Maura walked in the direction of the bedroom. "I will try not to wake you up with my cold feet when I get in the bed."

Maura smiled weakly and pointed at the large object near Jane's feet. The massive tortoise looked more like a rock than a life pet. "Please, don't let Bass into the bedroom when you come to bed."

Jane smirked. "Sure, I will make sure to run to the door because he might just beat me to it."

Maura refrained from answering and closed the bedroom door behind her. She turned to face the bed. She and Jane had slept here before. It was a striking coincidence that the exact same sheets were on the bed tonight and it brought back the image of Jane lying on the bed, fully dressed. She had been so scared that night. She had never seen Jane so afraid. They had not slept much that night. Jane had confessed to her fears and Maura had listened. And now they were here again. Same bed. Same fear. Different person.

Maura took off her slippers, pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. She lay with her hands folded under her head and stared at the ceiling, focusing on her breathing and her heart beating softly in her chest. She could hear Bass shuffling around in the living room and the voices coming from the TV. In her head the image of Jane lying stretched out on her couch began to form and a subconscious smile spread across her face.

She and Jane spent a lot of time together outside of work. It was why she had decided to bring Jane home with her tonight. She felt safe knowing Jane was safe with her tonight; even though Jane seemed convinced their serial killer would not attack her. Maura at least knew that while Jane was here, she was safe. Even if it was just in her own head. She had not quite realised what she was doing bringing Jane home with her until she had pulled up outside and heard Jane make the comment about the toothbrush.

To erase the train of thoughts running through her heads Maura closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Eventually her meditation allowed her to drift off into a quiet, peaceful slumber.

~()~

Jane carefully opened the door to the bedroom and peered inside. Maura had left the light on the bedside table on and the weak beam of light illuminated the sleeping pathologist's face. Jane stepped into the room, checking briefly whether Bass had followed her, and then closed the door. She walked around the bed and her eyes rested on Maura, who was asleep on her side. Her wavy hair covered part of her face, creating a strangely angelic look that was only accented by the golden gloom from the lamp.

Jane slowly pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. She was careful not to touch Maura with her cold feet and eagerly moved a little bit closer to her friend to soak up some of the body heat. Maura stirred and Jane held her breath, worried she had woken her. It felt strangely comfortable to slip into the bed with her. Jane rolled onto her side and looked at Maura as she slept. Eventually she reached for the night light, turned it off and found herself overwhelmed by the darkness.

She rolled onto her stomach, beat the pillow into a shape that suited her head and closed her eyes. Maura moved and her leg was now resting against Jane's and Jane smiled. Falling asleep was a lot easier tonight and Jane eagerly welcomed the sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Jane and Maura walked into the precinct together the next morning after having swung past Jane's apartment to allow her to get changed. Now dressed in slacks, a white t-shirt and jacket Jane felt more like herself than she had done when wearing Maura's strangling pyjamas. Jane's hair was still damp from the shower she had taken at Maura's place. Maura was dressed in one of her usual designer dresses, black high heeled boots and matching handbag. Both women looked rested and a smile lingered on Jane's lips as she approached her desk. The paperwork mess she had left behind the day before was still there, looking untouched.

"Rizzoli!" Frost called and Jane glanced at Maura.

"How is he _always_ here before us?" she groaned and walked straight past her desk and towards her partner. Her dark eyes were drawn to the white board.

"Can it wait till I have at least finished my coffee?" she questioned, waving her half drunken Starbucks at him. Maura stood behind her, sipping from her own coffee.

"I swung past your place last night to drop off the results on the prints but you weren't in," Frost said casually, his eyes fixed on the whiteboard. Jane followed his gaze. He was looking at the picture of the fingerprints. Behind her, Maura perked up at the mention of the results and Jane looked over her shoulder. The excitement in her eyes was almost worrying.

"I errr," Jane said, trying to figure out an answer to give Frost an answer that would not start the rumour mill working overtime. "I fell asleep on Maura's couch."

"Did you just say you had the results from the prints?" Maura brought the conversation back to the original subject.

"Our killer is a ghost. His fingerprints are not in any of the systems," Korsak said as he walked onto the department, wearing his usual 'I-hate-Monday-mornings- face'. The three people standing by the white board spun around and Frost shook his head, obviously irritated over having lost this scoop of information. He turned away and stalked over to his desk and disappeared behind his computer screen.

Jane groaned in defeat at the news. A day that had started so well now suddenly turned bad and she wondered how much more crap was going to come her way. "Not a single hit in any of the systems? What, so now he doesn't exist?"

"He does exist. Otherwise those women…" Maura looked up, finding Jane looking at her in amusement. "That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?"

"Why do you always have to be so literal?" Jane asked and glanced at Maura who had already opened her mouth to reply. Jane cut her off. "Don't answer tha.t"

"I need to get back to the morgue," Maura said quickly and turned around. She left the department and Jane watched her leave, following the brunette's every move with her eyes. The fading sound of Maura's heels echoing off the vinyl floor left Jane feeling slightly lost and abandoned. When Jane looked back at the white board, she found Korsak looking at her. There was a twinkle in his eye. A twinkle Jane knew all too well.

"What?" she snapped and Korsak turned away, clearly not intended to answer. Jane walked towards him and forced him to look at her. "Oh come on Korsak! You can't pull a face like that and then not tell me!"

"Just a thought, that's all," Korsak answered, meeting Frost's gaze from behind's computer. Jane wondered what it was these two had been talking about behind her back and she warningly looked from her partner to Korsak and back. "Is your mother still bothering you about being single?"

"No, she has finally come to terms with the fact I am going to die alone in my sleep, surrounded by fifteen cats and cobwebs around my..." Jane said and swallowed the last of her words. Dark eyes pierced into Korsak's. "Don't tell me she has asked _you _to take me out on a date. You're track record with love is as bad as mine, only mine didn't end in divorce!"

"They never even made it to marriage," Frost snorted from behind his computer.

Korsak shrugged. "You could always date Maura, you know."

"Korsak?" Jane's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up and she looked over her shoulder just to make sure Maura was actually gone and nobody else had heard him. "What the hell?"

"You guys seem to be practically living at each other's places and having sleepovers all the time," Korsak answered casually and walked around his desk, putting a safe distance between himself and Jane just in case she was going to launch at him. "And I swear you argue like a married couple. You'd do your mother a favour, I'm sure. Keeps her out of your hair for a while."

Jane shook her head and rolled her eyes. A smile broke through on her face. "You really need to go home more often, Korsak. You are starting to go delusional."

Korsak's eyes met Jane's and that teasing twinkle was still there. "Just saying."

"Yeah well you'd better start saying something you won't regret," Jane reminded him and walked back to her desk. "We've got a killer to catch, remember? And I'd appreciate it if everybody would just butt out of my love life!"

"Or the lack of one," Frost whispered and Jane turned back.

"I heard that," she answered with a grin and looked at Frost. He met her gaze from behind his computer, clearly feeling secure that she wasn't going to kill him. Jane ran her fingers through her damp strands of hair and pulled a face. "And remind me again why you are still single?"

~()~

Little new information emerged that day and Jane found herself abandoning her desk around lunch time and made her way down to the Dirty Robber. The bar was filled with its usual clientele at this hour of the day and Jane slipped into her favourite booth after having ordered a beer. Normally she would ask Maura to join her but she had tried calling the pathologist but she had not answered her phone and Jane assumed that she was working. So she stared at the empty seat across her and placed the cold bottle against her lips and allowed the liquid to trickle down her throat.

She looked up when a familiar figure appeared beside her table and she groaned. "Can't I go anywhere without you?"

Korsak looked at her. "I have your back, Jane."

"Look around," Jane muttered and took another large gulp from her bottle. The bar was filled with cops, most of them retired, who were sharing stories. She had recognised a few officers from the Drugs squad and had made a point of avoiding them. The rivalry between them was mutual. "All I need protecting from around here is bad arrest stories and oversized egos."

"I know this is eating at you, Jane," Korsak and sat himself down across her. His eyes fixed on Jane's face and even though she did not allow herself to meet his gaze, she could tell he was worried. "Come on, talk to me. I thought we were partners? Or we used to be, anyway."

Jane put her bottle down and dark eyes snapped up. "Are you going to hold that against me for the rest of my career? It wasn't my fault Frost got partnered with me and they left you standing at the side-line."

"If you encounter anymore serial killers you won't have a career," Korsak reminded her and Jane rolled her eyes.

"Have you been talking to Maura?"

"Didn't need to," Korsak answered, leaving the subject of Maura to rest between them and he took a paper from the inside of his jacket. Jane's eyes narrowed and she resisted grabbing it from his hands. Korsak's eyes became more serious. "We decided to put the story out there, Jane. We are stuck. There is no new information. This is a copy of tonight's paper. One of Frost's informants at the Globe gave it to him."

Jane felt sick as she looked at the headline. "**BOSTON BUTCHER****.****"**

"Is that the best they could come up with?" she asked and her eyes scanned the article underneath. It mentioned the four women murdered in similar ways and showed their pictures. It would be obvious to the public that they all looked alike and Jane wondered how many women would go out and get a haircut after reading tonight's edition and how many more would move in with friends of family. After the Stranger, and Hoyt, fear was not an uncommon thing in Boston. Serial killers seemed to have a taste for the city.

Korsak looked at Jane and watched how she put the paper down and took another sip from her beer. His eyes were drawn to the scars on her hands and when she caught him looking at her, he shrugged. "So, why are you not here with the usual suspect?"

"Maura? She isn't answering her phone," Jane answered sarcastically. "Probably some dead guy with an interesting disease on her table. Beats a beer anytime." She paused and her eyes drifted to the window for a moment. What Korsak had said earlier that morning had played on her mind ever since she walked into the bar. She looked at her former partner and a frown appeared on her face. "What you said this morning, about me and Maura, what did you mean by that?"

Korsak sent her a brief smile. "Struck a nerve, have I?"

"Jerk," Jane muttered but her eyes didn't leave his face. "Well?"

"Well, you two are practically in a relationship anyway. It's probably the longest either one of you has ever been in," Korsak answered and his eyes twinkled when Jane sent him a warning look. She was sensitive about her love life, even though she would pretend it did not bother her. He knew her better than that. "And Dr Isles isn't the easiest person to figure out."

"There's the understatement of the year."

"Half the department things you are together anyway."

Jane rolled her eyes and a sigh escaped from her throat. If her mother as much as suspected men had stopped asking her out because they thought she was gay. "And I wondered why the men had stopped asking me out. I suppose the idea of being involved with the Queen of the Dead is enough to put any reasonable person off. That, and the fact that everybody clearly thinks I'm gay."

Korsak watched how the features of Jane's face changed now that they talked about Maura. The dark rings around her eyes seemed to fade just by mentioning the other woman's name. She stopped rubbing the back of her hands; her fingers stopped tracing the scars. Jane noticeably calmed down.

"I suppose it does look like we're in a relationship," Jane said and shook her head. Her eyes briefly met Korsak's. "Apart from the physical aspect, obviously." The words slipped from her lips and left her feeling strangely numb and hollow inside. She looked at her beer bottle and pulled a face. A shy, somewhat confused smile broke through on her face and she ran her fingers through her hair. Why had she never even thought about this before?

"Me and Maura?" she questioned, looking back at her former partner. She remembered the nights Maura had spent at her place, how she had seemed to fit into her house, her life, so perfectly. How she actually felt lonely when she couldn't hear the other woman's laughter echoing off her walls. "Seriously?" When Korsak didn't answer she sighed and giggled nervously. "What do you think I should do?"

Korsak stood up, placed a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "What do you want to do?"

She sat for a few moments, staring at the table before taking her phone from her pocket and hitting the number under speed dial number 1. Maura's phone rang and eventually went to voice mail. Jane hung up, put her phone down in front of her and rested her elbows on the table, placing her head in her hands. What was she going to do now?

~()~

"Dr Isles?"

Maura's head whipped up and to her surprise she found Korsak standing in the doorway of the autopsy room. Her eyes briefly snapped in the direction of the table she had just cleaned. The room smelled of bleach and disinfectant. She had obsessively rearranged her tools three times, only to place them back in the order they had originally been in. And now she sat behind her laptop, looking at the new collection by one of her favourite designers. She closed the screen and stood up.

"Yes?" she asked hesitantly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Detective's habit, I'm afraid. When someone isn't answering their phone people tend to get worried," Korsak answered, his eyes still fixed on Maura's face. He rarely went down here. Death didn't bother him but it seemed that Jane actually enjoyed being here. Some days he believed both Maura and Jane felt better when surrounded by those who didn't talk back o them. The last time he had been here, on his own, had been when Maura and Jane had a fight. A room had never felt so awkward.

"Jane," Maura concluded and Korsak nodded. "I was working."

"Yes, I thought you would be. Well, now that I am satisfied you are not lying dead on your own table I will just go back to Jane and tell her you are very much in one piece," Korsak said and Maura's eyes narrowed, not quite understanding the humour in his voice. Korsak smiled. "She was worried about you."

"Oh," Maura answered and a strange sensation rose up in the pit of her stomach. "Then why did she not come down here herself and check?"

Korsak shrugged. "Ask her."

He left the autopsy room and ran into the Frost who was on his way back from the evidence locker. He frowned when he saw the older detective and curiously looked at him. Frost himself would rather avoid the morgue. The smell, or even the thought, of dead bodies made him sick. "What are you doing down here?"

Korsak punched him against the upper arm. "Making arrangements."

Maura watched the detectives leave and turned away from the door and back to her computer. She could no longer find the focus to look at the new collection and instead sat down in her chair, with her head in her hands. She no longer understood herself. Before all of this she thought she knew herself pretty well but now her own thoughts and feelings frightened her.

"You OK, Maura?"

She looked up and found Jane standing in the open door way. The raven haired detective looked worried to see Maura sitting like this and walked over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Maura looked up at her and nodded.

"Yes, I am fine," she answered through clenched teeth. She had never been good at lying but she knew she could not bother Jane with what she was feeling. "Why did you send Korsak down here to check on me?"

Jane arched an eyebrow in surprise but the pieces quickly fell into place. "I didn't."

"He was just here, asking why I had not answered my phone. I told him I was working," Maura answered defensively and stood up, walked around the autopsy table and created space between her and Jane. She could tell the distinct smell of bleach penetrated Jane's nose. It was one of the smells she could not stand and a wrinkle appeared just above her nasal bone. "I cleaned the room."

"I can smell that," Jane said, now placing her hand under her nose to mask the smell of bleach. "Since when is cleaning your table more important than a drink at the Dirty Robber?"

Maura didn't know what to say and instead remained silent. An intense look appeared in her eyes when she eventually allowed herself to meet Jane's gaze. The other woman was looking at her expectantly. "I am experiencing irregularities in my normal pattern of behaviour."

"Spoken like a true Cyborg," Jane commented and her gaze dropped to Maura's hands and noticed she was fiddling with her fingers and picking at her fingernails. In surprise her eyebrows shot up. "Come on Maura; let's talk about this in plain English please? Are you _fidgeting_?"

"I am not fidg-" Maura began but looked down at her hands and realised what she was doing. "I am fidgeting. I never fidget."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me," Jane answered, her eyes now lingering on the frown that appeared on Maura's forehead. "Maura, you haven't quite seen yourself the last day or two. What is going on?"

"I think my dopamine levels have increased," Maura said and she began pacing around the room, her back turned to Jane. Behind her, the dark haired woman pulled a face that Maura didn't see. "Levels of pheromones and serotonin must have increased too. My heart is experiencing increased palpitations and I have not enjoyed a meal for days."

"Are you trying to tell me you're sick? Because you really need to come up with something I can actually understand before I call 911," Jane said and Maura turned around. Their eyes met across the distance and Jane cocked her head. When she registered the look in the pathologist's eyes she realised her friend was being serious. "Maura?"

"It's a chemical balance, Jane. Neuroscience has proven that all these chemicals are all present in the brain and might be involved when people..." Maura began but the remainder of her sentence was cut short by Jane's cell phone. The ringtone warned them it was Angela Rizzoli.

"What, Ma?" Jane answered, her eyes not leaving Maura's. Her eyebrows shot up and her face turned into a mask of horror. "You did what?"

Maura arched an eyebrow and Jane covered her phone so her mother wouldn't hear her. "She drove my car to pick me up!"

Maura pulled a face. Everybody knew Jane was funny about who was allowed to driver her car. Maura had only experienced the privilege once and she suspected that Angela Rizzoli was not on the list of accepted drivers. They had left the Rizzoli residence the day before in Maura's car. Jane's vehicle had been left on the drive and Maura had driven them into work this morning. She had intended on driving Jane home tonight but there would be no need.

"Stay outside," Jane said and hung up. She turned to look at Maura and sighed. It was getting late and the day was nearly over. She was tired and ready to go home. She pushed her phone into her pocket and looked at Maura. The other woman met her gaze and Jane sadly smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Maura nodded. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, Jane."

~()~

Jane put up with her mother's endless rants about how she really had to go out and find herself a husband; how she was at fault for Frankie becoming a cop and pretty much everything else Angela Rizzoli could come up with. She quietly nodded with the statement that Karla Talluci had a cousin who was Jane's age and who was still single. Jane resisted mentioning that there was probably a good reason he was still single, apart from being related to Karla Talluci. When she eventually slammed the car door after her mother had gotten out, she greeted the welcome silence and turned up the radio before starting her drive home.

She reached her apartment, stuck the key in the lock and turned it. The door opened, revealing the darkness of her home that lay behind it. She stepped into the room, closed the door behind her and took her gun and badge from her belt and placed them on the kitchen counter before turning and searching the wall for the light switch. And then it hit her. The silence. The absolute silence.

"Jo?" Jane called, her fingers now brushing along the wall to try and find the light switch. Her eyes slowly adapted to the dark and she could make out the shapes of the furniture. Her dog was nowhere to be seen or heard and Jane froze. A cold chill crept down her spine and she spun around, ready to grab her gun from the counter. Something stopped her. A firm, strong hand grabbed hold of her and forced her to turn around. The pain was sharp and Jane flinched.

The smell was sickening and she heaved as her body tumbled to the floor. The world went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Tired dark brown eyes opened and the world around her regained its shape. Sound and smells begun to register in her head and the first thing she felt was pain. Her vision was blurred, the back of her throat was dry and the metallic taste of blood lingered in her mouth. The room was covered in darkness apart from the weak yellow beam of light coming from the lamp on the table.

_My bedside table._

Jane attempted to sit up but the nausea was instant. Her body ached from head to toe and she rubbed the back of her head, feeling a large bump under her fingers. She attempted to focus her eyes and blinked a few times when she sensed a shadow moving in the darkness towards her. Her cop defences kicked in automatically and a change in weight told her someone had sat down on the bed and she turned her head. Fear instantly overwhelmed her when she realised, remembered, what had happened. The events blurred together but her memories quickly became sharper.

She had walked through the front door. It had been locked and she had used her key, she had left them on the counter. The lights had been off. All of them. Darkness had shrouded her apartment. She always left one light on if she knew she would be home late. Ever since Hoyt... Jo had not been there to greet her. The silence had been deafening. She remembered the sounds of footsteps behind her and the leather gloved hand grabbing her shoulder. The sharp pain in her head and then the unforgiving collision with the ground.

Jane attempted to move her legs and crawled across the bed, away from whoever had just sat down. His back appeared to be turned towards her, clearly reassured she was still unconscious. But her attacker sensed her movement and quickly turned around. In the weak light of the lamp she could see his eyes, glistening with the purest hatred matched only by that she had seen in Hoyt. He grabbed her legs and dragged her back towards him. His fingers closed around both her ankles so tightly she could feel her skin bruise. Fear controlled her and for a moment she forgot to fight.

"No!" Jane shouted. Her voice was hoarse and broken and it hurt as the word escaped from her throat. Her fingers clutched firmly into the duvet in an attempt to seek security. Her hands were sore and her fingers lacked the strength. It was Hoyt's final legacy. She was unable to defend herself properly. She was left weak and defenceless. "LET ME GO!"

"Do not fight what you deserve, you Jezebel!" groaned a man's voice and Jane flinched at the sharp pain as the blade of the knife cut through the material of her slacks and sliced the flesh on her leg. She could feel the warm drops of blood run down her skin and see the sharp contrast of her blood against the glistening blade. She fought and kicked to release herself from her attacker's hands. Eventually her foot made contact with the man's face and she heard the distinct sound of bone breaking. She lost her balance as he released her unexpectedly and using her cop instinct Jane rolled off the bed. She groaned in pain as she landed on the carpet and her eyes darted around the room.

He was there before she could blink. His tall frame towered over her as she lay on the floor, her vision still blurred. The pain in her head was overwhelming and she felt as if it was going to burst. He bent over and his strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up before throwing her onto the bed. She bounced off the pillows and attempted to roll onto her stomach but he was quicker. His weight rested on top of her as she straddled her and she saw the silver blade of the knife glisten in the weak bedroom light, her blood congealing at its tip.

Her heart hammered in her chest and beads of sweat glistened on her forehead as her eyes fixed on the blade. Fear rushed through her veins and her head was pounding. She could feel his blood drip onto her forehead as it seeped from his nose and her stomach turned as his scent penetrated her nose. The smell of stale sweat and rotting flesh made her heave and she could feel the bile rise in the back of her throat. She resisted the gagging reflex, her eyes fixed on the blade that now came dangerously close to her face. She could feel his hot, stinking breath on her skin and turned her head.

"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge," he growled and the blade traced Jane's skin. She was glowing hot and the metal felt cold. She shivered as the tip of the blade pushed into her cheek, the pain unexpectedly sharp.

She fought and writhed underneath him in an attempt to free herself. His other hand held her arms pinned down beside her head but her leg shot up in a reflex. Her knee made contact with his groin and he collapsed on top of her, a low groan escaping from his throat. He was heavy and for a second it was as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs. He lay on top of her, his body still and almost rigid.

Another wail of pain escaped from her attacker's mouth as her leg shot up again, once again kneeing him into his most sensitive area and whilst doing so pushing him away from her. He lost his grip on her hands and Jane forced him off her with a firm push from her leg. He landed on his back beside her and Jane rolled off the bed. Her body harshly crashed against the ground and she attempted to crawl away from the bed, ignoring the pain that shot through her body with every move.

"Whore!" he cried behind her and she could hear him stand up. The springs of the bed squeaked as his weight shifted. Footsteps approached her as she had nearly reached the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar. Just as she was about to push against it, his foot landed on the small of her back, forcing her flat onto the ground. Her bones cracked under the pressure and she felt sickened by the pain.

A sharp pain shot through her as the blade pierced her clothes and then her skin, creating a deep gash along her lower back. He then grabbed her hair, forcing her to turn around. She heaved and coughed as her stomach content rose in the back of her throat. She lay underneath him, using her hand to shield her face and head. Her heart hammered against her ribcage and it felt as if her lungs were going to burst. The blade of the knife cut through her flesh and more blood trickled down her skin.

"Our Father who art in heaven," her attacker muttered and Jane resisted following the prayer in her head. There was no time to pray. If she wanted to live, she had to fight. Her head was spinning as she attempted to find a way out. She had no gun. For just a second her fingers brushed along her slacks and found she had lost her phone. It could be anywhere.

With one firm swing, skilled from playing baseball since she was a child, Jane's arm collided with the hand holding the knife and her attacker stumbled backwards, caught off guard by her sudden strength. Jane crawled onto her hands and knees and desperately searched the floor with her fingers, hoping they would encounter the shape of her phone. The knife fell to the ground and she looked at it, briefly. Just as she was about to reach for it, her attacker rose to his full, tall frame. The smell, the rotten stench, penetrated her nose yet again and she crawled backwards. The smell was foul and offensive. She didn't notice that her attacker picked up the lamp from her bedside table and she turned her head to see its metal foot coming down. It crashed into the side of her head and shattered.

The world went blank and Jane fell to the ground as blood trickled from her nose, down the side of her face. She saw his face, his eyes, before they faded into another blur. She heard the footsteps disappear into the distance and somewhere a door opened. She tasted her own blood on her lips and the adrenaline began to wear off and the pain grew.

Slowly, with her head spinning, Jane crawled onto her knees and sat on all fours for a few moments. Her stomach was about to empty itself onto the carpet. She desperately looked around and eventually noticed the small flickering red light from her phone under the bed. She crawled towards it, ignoring the pain and slim, trembling fingers, closed around the hard plastic as she pulled it towards her. She pressed the number 1.

"Hello?"

"Maura, help..."

~()~

"JANE?"

Maura rushed into Jane's apartment. The door was wide open and the darkness greeted her. Her fingers found the switch and turned on the light. Her eye fell on Jane's keys and gun on the counter and then her gaze desperately swept across the room. She hurried towards the bedroom when she realised the living area was empty. There were blood drops on the floor, leading from the front door to the bedroom. Maura felt her heart beat increase and when she walked into the bedroom she found Jane lying on her back on the floor. Her eyes were closed and blood trickled from her nose and covered the side of her face. Dried blood stuck to her hands and there were dark red drops seeping through the material of Jane's slacks.

"Jane," Maura whispered in shock and dropped to her knees. Instantly she forgot about the panic she had felt on her drive up here. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of the detective's face and the dark haired woman stirred under her touch. Her eyes fluttered open and Maura smiled when she found Jane's dark eyes looking up to her. Jane tried to say something but Maura covered Jane's lips with her fingers. "Ssssh, don't speak. Korsak and Frost are on their way. And the ambulance should be here soon." Outside sirens wailed and she smiled. "See."

"It was him," Jane muttered and swallowed. Tears burned behind her eyes. She felt scared, humiliated and broken. She could picture him clearly, moving towards her from the dark. "It was him, Maura."

Maura nodded slowly and her eyes searched Jane's face. She quickly assessed Jane's injuries and observed they were not life threatening. Jane's blood stuck to her finger tips as she gently caressed the other woman's cheek. "I know, sweetheart. I know. Now stay still." She looked at the broken lamp lying beside Jane and tried not to imagine Jane's attacker hitting her with it. "You probably have a concussion."

"JANE?"

Jane flinched at Korsak's loud voice coming from the living room and seconds later two more figures appeared in the bedroom door. Maura's head whipped around and a sigh of relief escaped from her throat when she saw the two detectives. Frost held his cell pressed to his ear as Korsak marched across the room and looked from Maura to Jane.

"Who invited the cavalry?" Jane groaned, looking up at Maura.

"Consider me your knight in shining armour," Korsak answered.

Jane snorted. "More like an idiot in tin foil, Korsak."

The tone of Korsak's voice changed when he spoke again and worried eyes briefly darted over Jane's injuries. At that moment both detectives experienced a flashback to the time when Hoyt had pinned Jane to the floor, a scalpel to her throat. Neither of them spoke out loud but the memory was shared. Korsak looked at Jane and he knew she resented being seen in this state of weakness. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"Can't this wait?" Maura asked nervously, her hand still clutching Jane's. She could feel the other woman twitch under her touch and she too knew Jane thought about Hoyt. "I'd feel more comfortable if the paramedics have checked her over and she..."

"It's okay, Maura," Jane interrupted her and slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Maura's arm snaked around Jane's back and helped her sit up. With Maura's support Jane found her balance and she looked up to Korsak. Her world was spinning rapidly and the nausea washed over her. She swallowed and tried to ignore the pounding pain in her head. "I can talk."

"Jane," Maura began in protest but Jane shook her head. In defeat Maura shot Korsak a dark look as if she was silently trying to blame him. He avoided her eyes, knowing full well how she felt in this moment in time. Instead his eyes fixed on Jane's bloodied face. A large bruise had appeared next to her eye.

"It was him," Jane said with a hoarse voice. "He was waiting for me in the dark. My door," She paused and the events lined themselves up in her head. "It was locked. He had a key. And he was waiting for me." She narrowed her eyes and a deep frown appeared on her forehead. "He called me a Jezebel and a whore and he quoted the Bible." She couldn't remember his exact words and her train of thoughts was interrupted by two men walking into her bedroom. The ambulance had arrived and the EMT's knelt down beside Jane and began performing their checks.

"How did he find her?" Maura asked after reluctantly having left Jane's side. She turned to Korsak. "You said he picks women who look alike. But where could he possibly have seen Jane? She has barely been home." Fear laced her voice and her hazel eyes widened. "How could he have seen her?"

"Who knows? He could have seen her weeks ago," Frost answered slowly and walked over to Korsak and Maura. "But what we have to remember is that this is not about Jane. She is not his target. She is part of his target." He paused. "He left. Why would he have left?"

"Look at her!" Maura exclaimed and pointed at Jane. "She fought back!"

"Always willing to pick a good fight," a male's voice said from the door and everybody looked up to find Frankie standing in the door way, holding Jo. Jane groaned as her brother walked into her bedroom though she was happy to see Jo Friday was unhurt. The amount of people seeing her in this position only made her feel weak and powerless. She wished she could tell them all to leave her alone. All of them, except Maura. Dark brown eyes looked at the other woman and their gazes briefly met. Maura read her mind. Frankie allowed Jo to jump out of his arms and the tiny dog bounced its way towards Jane and curiously licked her hand. "I found her wandering outside your building and..."

"JANE?"

Before anybody had a chance to say anything else the voice of Angela Rizzoli echoed through the apartment and Jane looked horrified as her eyes snapped from Frankie to Frost and back. The last thing she needed was for her mother to see her like this.

"Great! Who called her?" she demanded and Frankie looked at her.

"I did," he answered without hesitation and watched with a tiny smirk how Jane's eyes suddenly blazed. If she was well enough to be angry with him than surely she would be all right. "I heard your address on the scanner."

Angela appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide as saucers and a single tear trickling down her cheek. As she laid eyes upon her wounded daughter she walked into the room, past Korsak and Frost, until she reached Jane and she knelt down beside her. For a brief moment Jane was reminded of the time she had fallen off her bike after racing down the street with some of the boys in the neighbourhood and she had lost control and broken both her front teeth and suffered a nose bleed. It was that very same look she saw in her mother's eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Angela asked, her eyes fixed on Jane. Jane tried not to roll her eyes at her mother but the irritation over her mother being overbearing grew in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't a nine year old anymore. She felt relieved when the EMT stopped fussing over the lump on her head and attempted to stand up. Her mother's fingers closed around her wrist, pulling her down and Jane looked at Angela. "One of these days you are going to get yourself killed!"

"Yeah well at least I will find some satisfaction in that I died doing what I do best," Jane said sharply and ignored her mother's horrified gasp. "Catching bad guys."

Frankie arched an eyebrow and watched how his sister staggered to her feet and how weary, tired eyes scanned the room looking for Maura. The words slipped from his lips before he fully realised it. "Well, they seem to be catching you!"

"Have you thought about going somewhere he can't find you?" Maura asked and Jane's eyes narrowed.

"Gees Maura, where do you suggest I go? A cave in Afghanistan?"

The corners of Maura's mouth twitched. "It has its merits."

"I wish you would come home with me and your father," Angela sighed and Jane felt the hairs in the back of her neck stand up. She had heard those words before and they sounded as awful now as they had done back then.

"No, Ma," Jane answered firmly and shook her head. It hurt and the world began to spin again. Moving was a bad idea. "I am not coming home with you and dad. If I do, Boston PD will soon have a double homicide on their hands. _Yours_!" Her eyes found Maura and the pathologist hazel eyes met Jane's. "I'll stay at Maura's, if it makes you feel any better. It's definitely safer. For all of us."

"We will have to take you to the hospital to get a full check-up, detective Rizzoli," spoke the male EMT, interrupting the conversation. His female partner was making notes and spoke something into her radio Jane couldn't quite catch. It sounded an awful lot like their expected arrival time. "Are you all right to walk downstairs yourself?"

Jane suddenly became aware of the pain in her leg but shook her head. She had never been good with hospitals. She hated them and most of the time they hated her too. "I am fine. I don't need to go."

"Yes, you do," Angela argued and Jane shot her mother a warning look. The pain in her head increased the longer she stood and the images blurred before her eyes. The lights hurt and all she wanted was to just lie down and sleep for all eternity. "You do as the nice EMT guy says and go to the hospital and have them take care of you!"

Jane's eyes found Maura. "I don't need a doctor. I have my own personal physician."

Angela pulled a face and looked from Maura to Jane and back. "She is a pathologist!"

"Well if I die than she will know exactly what to do with me," Jane answered and staggered towards the door. The EMT held a clip board and she looked at him. "Where do I sign to say I am not going?"

"Jane," Maura said softly and Jane turned her head. Their eyes met and Maura felt a jolt of pain near her heart as she saw the bruise on Jane's face. "You should go with them. I'll come with you." She lowered her voice so that Angela couldn't hear her. "If I ride along as a passenger it means they can't let your mother on too. With me being your personal physician and all."

Jane hesitated for a moment and her eyes drifted from Maura to her mother before looking at the EMT. A pair of fine shaped eyebrows shot up and a quirky smile broke through on her face.

"OK, OK, where do I sign to say I am going?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Twenty stitches and a concussion, that has got to be my new record," Jane said cynically as she lay on her side on the table. She had refused to wear one of the standard issue hospital gowns and the nurse had given up trying to reason with her. Jane was still dressed in her blood stained slacks and shirt and her thick hair fell down her shoulders. She couldn't feel the pain in her back anymore. The anaesthetic the nurse had given her to numb the area where the doctor would be stitching her had kicked in and she secretly wished they would give her something stronger. It was nice not to feel the pain.

Maura sat in the chair beside the table and arched an eyebrow. "I do not understand how you can be so cynical. Are you deliberately being difficult?"

"No," Jane answered with a tiny smile.

The door swung open and the doctor they had seen briefly when Jane arrived walked back in. He was a man in his late forties. His hair had once been black but was now riddled with streaks of grey. Intense green eyes peered from behind round spectacles and Jane thought that he could have been attractive were it not for the fact he enjoyed the sun beds a little too much. She glanced at Maura and wondered why a physician was unaware of the dangers of skin cancer caused by sun beds.

"Detective Rizzoli," he spoke and Jane detected a vague hint of a Texan accent. "Are you ready?"

Jane smirked and her eyes quickly glanced at her status chart beside her. It mentioned her doctor's name to be Dr R. McKenzie. "I was born ready."

Doctor McKenzie began to prepare the tray he needed for stitching and found the correct needle and thread. He then gently lifted up Jane's shirt a little further to expose the pale flesh of her back. The nurse had cleaned her wound. It was about four inches long and sat raw and red on her skin. Maura had a look at it when the nurse left, because Jane asked her too, and she had also looked at the cut on her leg, which was not as big at about two inches. Both wounds were clean, without jagged edges and the nurse had reassured her they would heal with minimal scarring. Jane had looked at her hands and mumbled that she was scarred anyway.

She could feel the doctor place his hand on her body but did not feel how the needle pierced through her undamaged flesh and emerged on the other side. She lay still, her eyes fixed on some meaningless stain on the wall. Maura, who had been seated beside her, could not contain her professional curiosity, stood up and peered over Jane's body as Dr McKenzie made his first stitch. Jane could instantly tell from the way Maura tensed her body something was bothering her.

"Wouldn't it be better to use a horizontal mattress stitch?" Maura questioned bluntly and Dr McKenzie looked up from what he was doing. A puzzled gaze met Maura's. "It helps in distributing the tension along the wound edge."

"Who are you exactly?" Dr McKenzie asked and Jane bit down on her lip to suppress a giggle. Trust Maura to criticise the doctor that was stitching her up.

"Dr Maura Isles," Maura answered calmly. "And you are doing it wrong."

"Horizontal mattress stitches are so secure that it can compromise blood supply," Dr McKenzie answered and Jane rested her head on her arm without taking her eyes off Maura. "It can cause strangulation and necrosis if tied too tightly."

"Then don't tie it too tightly," Maura answered simply and Jane shook her head. She could feel how Dr McKenzie's hand shifted and the pressure changed. There was a groan and the distinct sound of an item being placed back in the tray. Maura nodded in agreement. "As you may have noticed I am detective's Rizzoli's personal physician and I want you to use the horizontal mattress."

Twenty minutes later Jane sported twelve stitches on her back and another eight on her leg and she had been handed a dose of painkillers that she could take as soon as she got home and should see her through the next three days. Dr McKenzie had told her she would need to be woken up every two hours that night and his eyes briefly rested on Maura before he commented he entrusted her physician to detect signs of possible brain damage and if she was sick in the night or the nausea continued into the next day or two she had to report back to the hospital. He left the treatment room without saying anything else and Jane smirked as she slipped off the table. Her muscles protested against the movement and she couldn't wait till she rested her head on Maura's soft pillows.

"Do you always have to do that?" she asked as they started for the door. Maura carried Jane's jacket and looked at her dark haired detective.

"Do what?"

Jane smiled. "Be so you."

~()~

By the time they made it back to Maura's place, Jane ached from head to toe and all she wanted was to rest her head and sleep for a week. She got out of the taxi and groaned in discomfort as her body ached. Maura quickly unlocked the front door, flicked on the light and then took Jane's arm and guided her into the house.

"Come on," she said softly and pushed Jane into the direction of the bedroom. "Let's get you to bed. Do you need help getting undressed?"

"I usually have a few beers before I take anybody up on that offer," Jane joked and walked into the bedroom. The sight of the bed drew a delighted sigh from her throat and tired, aching fingers fumbled with the button of her slacks. It popped open and she unzipped it before peeling it down her legs. She stepped out of them, kicked off her shoes and took off her socks before pulling her blood stained shirt over her head. Suddenly she became aware of Maura still standing in the doorway and turned around, wearing nothing more than her bra and panties. Maura's eyes were fixed on the gash on Jane's back.

Jane tried to smile. "It looks worse than it feels."

"Somehow I doubt that," Maura answered and walked over to her friend. She picked up the clothes from the floor, opened a drawer and handed Jane an old T-shirt. The dark brunette held it up in front of her and arched an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you wore stuff like this," she said as she slipped it over her head and then unhooked her bra and let it slip down her arms. The shirt carried the Celtics logo and her dark eyes met Maura's hazel.

"I don't," Maura answered with a smile and watched how Jane briefly admired her new attire in the mirror. "I bought it for you."

"Remind me to thank you when I am not slurring my speech," Jane tiredly said and turned around to the bed. "Do you really have to wake me every two hours?"

"Yes," Maura answered and smiled at Jane's almost childlike reluctance. She watched as Jane climbed into her bed and rested her head onto the pillow. Tired eyes almost immediately fell shut and Maura sat down on the side of the bed. Slim fingers traced the scars on Jane's hands and she sighed. "If I don't and you end up with a brain injury, what would we do then?"

Jane smiled though her eyes did not open. "It would probably be an improvement."

Maura sat beside Jane until she was sure the dark haired woman had fallen asleep. In the light of the bedside lamp Jane looked pale and Maura resisted trailing her fingers down the bruise that had formed on Jane's face. Her fingers still caressed the back of Jane's hand and now that she sat and watched her she finally allowed herself to experience all the emotions that had rushed through her the moment she had heard Jane's broken voice beg for her help.

She couldn't bear leaving Jane's side and instead walked around the bed and lay down beside her, on top of the bed covers and fully dressed. Her hand rested on top of Jane's and every two hours she gently shook the dark haired detective and Jane would wake with a groan and tell Maura to leave her the hell alone before slipping back into her slumber. Maura's eyes never left Jane's face and the horrifying realisation that she could have lost her meant Maura didn't sleep for a single minute that night.

~()~

Maura lay on her side, surrounded by darkness and stared at the figure of her best friend beside her. Jane lay on her back, her head turned towards Maura. She looked peaceful and Maura couldn't resist a smile as she looked at Jane's face. She had seen every mark on her skin, every little spot. She had noticed the way her eyebrows curved; how her eyes seemed to move rapidly behind her eyelids every so often and how Jane wet her lips with the tip of her tongue even in her sleep.

Maura was too restless to allow herself the comfort of sleep. Her mind could not stop wondering about all the things that could have happened tonight. Watching Jane made her realise how much she enjoyed, and wanted, the raven haired woman to be beside her. Even though she was hurt it was still comforting to be near her and she did not want it to end.

She had overanalysed her own thoughts, as per usual, in the last few days. It had worked as a child, to hide all of her feelings underneath a mask of intellectuality. Cleverness masked insecurity and fear. People would believe that everything was all right even though inside, she was in turmoil. She had never quite understood the need for social contacts and the loneliness had become her best friend. It had always been a safe haven, something she could rely on. Science was predictable, emotions were not. People were unpredictable and the thought of not knowing what came next had always frightened her. Science couldn't hurt her, people could. It was why she preferred the loneliness of the morgue over a crowded bar, even now. It was why her date always went wrong. But all of that had changed when she had met Jane. Unbeknownst to Jane herself, the dark haired detective had dragged Maura out of her safe environment of dead bodied and scientific analysis and brought her out into a new world. And that new world made that Maura laid here tonight. With Jane.

Maura reached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair out of Jane's face. Jane's skin was soft and warm under her touch. Her fingers caressed the other woman's cheek and she smiled to herself.

_I love you, Jane._

~()~

The first thing she thought when she opened her eyes the next morning was that someone had knocked her over with a bus, put in reverse and done it again. Her head was thumping and her throat felt dry. A horrible taste lingered in her mouth. Every single muscle, ever cell, in her body hurt as Jane opened her eyes and tried to sit up. A sharp pain shot through her back and she flinched. She took a sharp breath, clenched her teeth together and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet made contact with the soft carpet floor. At that same moment the bedroom door opened and Maura's head appeared.

"You're awake," she said with a beaming smile.

Jane looked at her, puzzled at how Maura was even capable of smiling. "No, I am sleepwalking."

"You're not," Maura answered dismissively and walked around the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Freaking fantastic," Jane's voice dripped with sarcasm. Dark eyes looked up to Maura. "How am I supposed to shower with these stitches?"

"We can cover them up with bandages," Maura answered rather matter of fact. Her eyes were sparkling.

Jane's eyes narrowed as she observed the dark rings around Maura's eyes. It was the first time that Maura didn't look like she had walked out of a fashion magazine. The brunette had not brushed her hair and was still wearing the clothes she wore the day before. "Did you sleep outside or something?"

"No," Maura answered without giving a further explanation as to why she was fully dressed. "Just wait here a minute and I will get my bag. I can cover your stitches and you can shower as long as you like."

"Oh goody," Jane groaned and attempted to stand up. Her whole body protested as she shifted her weight and Maura rushed to her side, quickly slipping Jane's arm around her shoulders for support. The smaller woman looked up the detective and their gazes locked. Jane pulled a face. "Now I know what it feels like to be ninety."

Maura smiled and supported Jane on her way to the bathroom. "You can worry about that in due time, Jane," She let go off Jane and stepped back. Her eyes briefly wandered along the detective's slender frame and she noticed how Jane was avoiding leaning on her damaged leg. "I am going to get my bag. You stay here." She reminded herself of a school teacher reprimanding a pupil. Jane looked at her.

"Maura?" she asked weakly as the brunette stepped out of the door. Her friend turned around. "Thank you."

Maura smiled and quickly slipped out of the bathroom. She hurried into the kitchen and scooped her kit from the counter. She kept it there, where most people kept an ordinary first aid kit. Clutching her bag, Maura walked back to the bathroom, politely knocked and waited for Jane to call her in. A painful groan was her answer and she pushed against the door to find Jane standing in front of the full length mirror, having lifted up her shirt attempting to look at the wound on her back. Their eyes met in the mirror.

"How am I going to do this without it looking like a badly performed strip show?" Jane asked, pulling her shirt up higher so Maura could place the bandages on her skin. She shivered when she felt her friend's cold fingers against her flesh and Maura took a sharp breath in when she felt Jane respond. She worked quickly and efficiently and applied a waterproof dressing on Jane's wound and stepped back to briefly admire the result. Satisfied that the wound was sealed, she walked back to Jane and gently readjusted her T-shirt. Jane turned around and their gazes locked.

"Maura," Jane began and swallowed. Her voice was still hoarse. "I..."

"Don't say anything," Maura answered softly and she looked into Jane's intense dark brown orbs. Her hand took Jane's into her own. It felt so safe and warm. She knew what Jane was about to say. "I don't want to think about it."

"I can't stop thinking about it."

Maura squeezed Jane's hand. "You will," she replied and her hand slipped gently up from Jane's hands to her cheek. The dark haired woman flinched when Maura's fingers gently caressed the now dark purple bruise on her skin but Maura did not remove her hand. "Come on, I need to put a dressing on your leg before you can shower."

"What would I ever do without you?" Jane joked as she watched how Maura knelt down to the floor and began applying a protection over her leg wound. "I don't think I could, you know."

Maura looked up. "You would."

"Did you sleep at all?" Jane questioned, her dark eyes lingering on the shadows around Maura's eyes. "Please tell me you slept."

"Okay," Maura replied with a little smile and put the final plaster in place. "If you need anything, just call me. Try to relax; it will do your muscles some good."

"Yes, Dr Isles," Jane answered and for the first time Maura saw the humour in her eyes. She could feel the warmth rise from her toes up to her cheeks and averted her eyes. She stared at the floor and Jane quickly put her hand on Maura's arm. "Now get out of this room before you get to see something a lot worse than a badly performed strip show."

Maura quietly left the bathroom and checked on Bass who was shuffling around in the kitchen. She gave him some strawberries and after that she walked back into the bedroom. Maura stood in the door way for a little while, lost in thought. Eventually she made the bed, rearranged all the pillows and opened the curtains. It had started to rain and she watched for a little while how the thick drops trickled down the glass. She looked over her shoulder when the bathroom door opened and Jane appeared, dressed in nothing but one of Maura's dark purple towels.

"It matches your eye," Maura commented and Jane pulled a face.

"You'd better be careful I don't make it match yours," she answered and looked around the room. "Where are my clothes?"

"In the laundry," Maura answered.

Jane pulled a face and pointed at the towel she was wearing. "And how exactly do you expect me to get dressed without any clothes?"

Maura's eyes lit up. "You can wear something of mine."

"If you see this as an opportunity to force me into one of your designer dresses..." Jane groaned and Maura openly laughed. Jane looked at her and realised how Maura's face changed whenever she laughed. The little wrinkles beside her eyes were cute and her lips curled up in a way she had never really noticed before. As she stood there, pretty much naked, she thought about what Korsak had said. _What do you want to do?_

Maura opened one of her drawers and handed Jane a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. She arched an eyebrow and smiled. "Is this more to your satisfaction, detective Rizzoli?" She turned around and left Jane to get dressed on her own. She had barely made it into the kitchen when the darker haired woman appeared out of her bedroom and followed her.

"Maura," Jane began and Maura turned around. When their eyes met Maura immediately knew there was something that was bothering Jane. She cocked her head as Jane began to fidget with her fingers. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Maura answered.

"I'd rather sit down," Jane said and the two of them walked into the living room. Jane sat down, clenching her teeth as her muscles protested to every move. Maura sat down beside her, worried eyes watching as Jane tried to find a comfortable position to sit in. Eventually she gave up, stretched her legs and folded her hands in her lap.

Realising the darker haired woman felt uncomfortable, Maura's eyes narrowed. "Jane, what is it?"

Jane swallowed and took a deep breath. The events of the night before had made her think and as she stood in the shower, the warm water soothing the pain in her muscles, she realised she had to do something about what Korsak had said. The thoughts had been running through her head ever since her conversation and when she had heard Maura's voice during her worst moment of fear, she had realised she did not want to lose her. Ever. She glanced at Maura through her eyelashes.

"Do you ever think about our friendship?" Jane asked and Maura's eyes widened in surprise. How could Jane have known what she had been thinking throughout the night? Jane's dark eyes did not let go of Maura's. "About us?"

"Us?" Maura asked nervously, not sure whether she understood what Jane was trying to say. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and the palms of her hands became clam. "Jane?"

"Somebody said something the other day," Jane hesitated, not sure whether she should mention it had been Korsak. She decided it was better not to. She took a deep breath and hoped Maura couldn't physically hear the way her heart was pounding in her chest. Her stomach clenched and she stared at the floor. "And after what happened last night, the only person I wanted to see, was you, Maura."

"Oh Jane."

"Wait," Jane interrupted Maura and dark eyes looked up to meet hazel brown. "You know I am not very good with all this feeling stuff, I am probably even worse than you, but I do know that I don't trust anybody else with my life. I..." She paused and bit the bullet. "Do you think our friendship is more like a relationship?"

Maura seemed puzzled. "Well, a relationship is normally something two, or more, people enter into based on their mutual feelings for each other. In most societies it is considered a relationship when said people have chosen to be together, though there are some cultures that..." When she saw Jane's face Maura smiled. "That is not what you meant, is it?"

"No Maura, that isn't what I meant," Jane smiled weakly. "What I meant to say is that people seem to think that our friendship is more like a relationship."

Maura sat silent for a few seconds, her eyes fixed on Jane's face. She leant in and took Jane's hand into her own. "How many of those painkillers did you take?"

"None," Jane breathed.

"Good," Maura whispered and her hand slipped up to Jane's cheek. She leant in. "Because I think I know exactly what you are trying to tell me."

"Maura," Jane said but Maura shook her head. "What happened last night..."

Maura took Jane's words away by gently kissing her on the lips. The detective briefly stiffened under the soft caress but her body slowly relaxed and she allowed Maura to gently slip her arms around her waist. She leant in closer and for a few seconds she forgot all about the pain, all about the memories and all there was, all that existed in her world, was Maura.

When they broke apart Jane clumsily smiled. "Did I really need to get stabbed to get you to kiss me?"

Maura arched an eyebrow and answered Jane's smile with her own. "No, all you had to do was ask."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_And I've come far enough to know__  
Love's worth never letting go of__  
~Trisha Yearwood – Down On My Knees_

Maura looked at Jane, a smile lingering on her lips. The dark haired detective lay stretched out on the couch, partially wrapped up in one of Maura's blankets. Her eyes were closed though Maura doubted she was actually asleep. Jane's breathing was not consistent with someone who was sleeping. The bruise on the side of Jane's face looked even brighter now and Maura had insisted on putting an ice pack on it, even though the damage had been done. Jane had felt like a total idiot. Maura's eyes drifted from the bruise down to Jane's neck and lingered on the fine shaped lines of her collar bone before coming to a rest at the start of her T-shirt.

"How long have you known?" Jane asked unexpectedly, opening one eye and looking at Maura. She had caught her staring but the brunette pathologist did not seem in the slightest bothered.

"Known what?" Maura questioned in surprise, more startled by the question than by the fact that Jane had caught her looking at her.

"That you are in love with me."

Maura thought about that question for a moment or two, rearranging the analysis's she had made in her head and the events that had led up to this very moment. She then nodded, more to herself than Jane. Sparkling bright hazel eyes met Jane's and her answer was clear, simple and matter of fact. "Two days."

"Wow," Jane smiled and sat up. Maura's eyes only lit up more now that she moved. Jane ran her fingers through her hair and groaned as her back protested against the changed position. She made a mental note that she was to refrain from moving too much and clenched her teeth whilst she waited for the sharp pain to subside. She cast Maura a sideways glance. "Jesus Maura, I thought you were a fast learner."

"Well, I was thinking about what was happening to me but I wasn't sure," Maura answered in that way that was so typical for her and Jane shook her head in disbelief. She was unable to suppress a smile and shifted her weight so her head was now resting on Maura's shoulder. It was comforting, safe and relaxing to be so close to her. The other woman slipped her arm around Jane and caressed her gently.

"How can you not be sure about being in love? The way I understand it, the feeling is rather specific."

Maura ignored Jane's observation. "I was experiencing increased feelings of satisfaction and pleasure when I was around you. Elevated levels of dopamine are linked to increased energy, motivation to win a reward and feeling elated. Also, recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, stimulating the brain's pleasure centre and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement."

Jane laughed and nudged Maura into her side. The brunette giggled and Jane felt her heart jump up in her chest. "I wonder what it is going to take for you to just simply tell me you love me."

There was a knock on the front door and both women looked up, startled that their moment of intimacy had been disturbed. Maura slipped off the couch and walked to the door. Jane sat up, biting back the pain, and looked over the back of the couch to see who it was. She couldn't see the visitor's face but she recognised Korsak's voice almost immediately. It sounded like he and Maura were arguing and she clearly heard her own name fall from Maura's lips.

"It is rude to talk about people behind their backs!" she called and two seconds later Maura appeared, looking somewhat flushed, and she was followed by Korsak. His face noticeably lit up when he found Jane sitting on the couch and he patted her on the shoulder when he reached her. Neither of them needed any more words for both of them to understand that he was glad to see her. Jane made a mental note to get him a box of the best donuts in Boston when she returned to work.

"Where's Frost?" she than asked, knowing full well Korsak would not have come here alone. For one, he wasn't a fan of driving and would gladly leave it to anybody else. It meant he could also quickly get out of the car to pick up some poor, abandoned animal on the side of the road. And Jane knew Frost well enough that he too wanted to see how his partner was doing and her eyes glanced over Korsak's shoulder in the direction of the door.

"Getting over his fear of Bass," Maura answered and pointed at the door. A muttered swearword could be heard and Jane remembered she had seen Bass shuffle around by the front door earlier that morning. According to Maura he liked to sit by the glass and look outside. Jane reckoned he was waiting for his chance to escape. Frost appeared, looking slightly frightened and Jane recognised the distinct sound of Bass' paws across the wooden floor. Maura smirked when Frost walked in. "I told him he was harmless."

"Who? Bass or Frost?" Jane asked, reaching out to Maura and briefly taking her hand. "Because I have seen the way Bass eats his strawberries."

"Why can't you just have a cat, like normal people?" Frost groaned and his dark eyes fixed on Jane. "How are you feeling, Jane?"

"Gees, Frost, twenty stitches aside, I'm feeling on top of the world," Jane answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"How are your hands?" Korsak asked and Jane's gaze dropped to her fingers. Her hands were covered in defensive wounds, most of which had scabbed over during the night. The cuts were small and shallow and had only needed cleaning at the hospital. But they hurt a lot more than the large gash on her back or her leg. She shrugged and looked up.

"I'll be playing the piano again soon."

"I hope you take some lessons this time," Frost answered and walked around the couch. He shot a weary look over his shoulder as Bass appeared and sat down. Jane refrained from commenting and her partner looked at him. "You up for some questions?"

"I never expected to hear that sentence," Jane sighed and looked at Maura. "Got any coffee?"

Maura nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. A cupboard opened, a few mug were placed on the counter and Jane could hear her chat to Bass, who had clearly followed her into the kitchen looking for some more strawberries, and her eyes briefly met Korsak. She owed him though this was neither the time nor the place to mention it. But when she met his gaze and saw the twinkle in his eye, she couldn't help but smile.

"Do you remember what happened?" Korsak asked and Jane watched how he took his notebook from his pocket and scribbled something down. It felt odd, almost unreal, to be subject of their questions. It reminded her of what it had been like, just after Hoyt had attacked her. The fear, the reminder of her mortality, was very real. She took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder. She wished Maura would come back.

"I came home," Jane began and her voice became distant. "The door was locked. I left my keys on the counter and..." She paused and her eyes narrowed. She experienced the brief hint of terror she had felt when her eyes had been greeted by the darkness of her apartment. "The light was off."

"The light?"

"Yes, I always leave a light on," Jane said and met Korsak's gaze. He understood what she was trying to say. The light kept away the shadows that looked like Hoyt. It erased the darkness. "So I don't come home in the dark. I had left it on that morning but it was off. And Jo wasn't there."

"Frankie told us he found her wandering around outside your building. She ran straight to him. The guy must have let her out," Korsak said and scribbled something down. Jane didn't even bother looking at his notes. Korsak's handwriting looked like it belonged in the Middle Ages. Not a single person could read his notes. She leant back and a deep sigh escaped from her throat.

"And then he was just there." Her voice trailed off and Maura walked back into the living room, carrying a tray with four steaming mugs of coffee, cream and sugar. She put it down on the coffee table and sat down next to Jane. Their eyes met and Jane felt the uneasy feeling fade away. She placed her hand on Jane's knee in support and Jane took another deep breath.

"When I woke up he was sitting on my bed." The bile rose in the back of her throat and her hands clenched into fists. It hurt but she ignored the pain. "And when I moved, he grabbed hold of me. We fought." Dark eyes fluttered shut as the images flooded back into her mind. She had to remember every detail. She had to tell them. She swallowed hard. "He called me a Jezebel."

"Did he say anything else?" Frost inquired and Jane's eyes opened.

Suddenly she could hear her attacker's voice in her head, loud and clear. Like he was standing right next to her, leaning in, speaking into her ear. A cold shiver crept down her spine and her fingers searched for Maura's. She glanced at the brunette and spoke to her and her alone when she repeated the words she had heard fall from her attacker's lips.

"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

"Hebrew 13:4," Maura said instantly and three sets of eyes fixed on her in surprise. "What? I read."

"You read the Bible?" Korsak asked and Maura looked at him.

"You didn't?"

"Another Bible quote; another link to adultery," Frost said slowly and Jane looked at her partner. "All women look alike." His dark eyes found Maura's and he read her mind. "This has nothing to do with Jane. He did not single her out for a reason. This psycho is targeting a particular woman and Jane just happens to fit the picture."

"That makes me feel loads better," Jane groaned and suddenly she sat up. Realisation had hit her and she looked at Maura. "He smelled!"

"Excuse me?" Maura asked in surprise.

"He smelled!" Jane said and her eyes widened. Maura sat up too and Jane could almost hear the wheels in her head spinning. "And I mean he reeked!"

Korsak looked from Jane to Maura and back. "Smelled of what?"

"Like he had not showered for a week," Jane answered and felt her stomach turn at the memory. The smell had been horrible and it had been so distinct. A frown appeared above her eyebrows and she looked down at her hands. The images flashed through her mind and she looked up only to find Maura looking at her with great interest. "But it wasn't just stale sweat. It was something else. His shirt was wet. He was sweating."

"Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes an abnormal increase in perspiration. Generally speaking, sweat does not smell. But there are conditions that that can cause very unpleasant odours. One of them is called Bromhidrosis," Maura answered, whilst looking at Jane. The detective looked at her, slightly bewildered. "It produces an overpowering and unpleasant odour, usually offensive. The smells vary from musty to downright rancid or even faecal."

"That sounds about right but I don't think we can track him down just because he smells," Jane groaned and looked at Korsak. "How did he get in to my apartment? The door was locked."

"CSU found residue of some substance in the lock. He must have used something to duplicate the key," Frost answered. "Similar traces have been found at the earlier crime scenes. I suggest you change your locks when you go home."

Jane looked at Maura. "I am not going home. Not for a while anyway."

Korsak looked at Jane's hand taking Maura's and he looked from the detective to the pathologist and back. "You are probably safer here, Jane. What do you want me to tell your mother?"

Jane grinned. Her phone had been buzzing for most of the morning but she had neglected answering. The last thing she needed was to hear her mother's voice. She knew Angela was worried but she really couldn't find the energy to put up with another one of her phone calls. She had forced Maura to pick up after it rang for the twentieth time and made her lie to Angela that she was sleeping. Her phone had stopped ringing now but only because Angela had made Maura promise to ask Jane to call her back.

"Tell her I am asleep," she grinned and met her partner's gaze. "Is CSU finished at my place?"

"Just about," Korsak answered and stood up, ready to leave. "They found another set of prints. In your bedroom. They will undoubtedly match the pair we already have but it brings us no closer to finding him. It's a good thing we have got everybody else's prints on file, your place was riddled with them. You should clean more often."

"Remind me of that the next time I visit that dump you call home," Jane answered in return. One of her eyebrows shot up. "I hope you can forgive me but I am unable to get up to see you out."

Maura followed Frost and Korsak to the door and Jane could hear them say goodbye. The door closed and Maura walked back into the living room. She sat down next to Jane and cast her a worried glance.

"You sure you're all right?"

"I am fine," Jane answered and scooted over until she could rest her head on Maura's shoulder. The other woman ran her fingers through Jane's thick hair and caressed the back of her neck. "You know, I have something to be that asshole grateful for."

"What's that?" Maura whispered and Jane's eyes looked up to her.

"You."

Gently she pressed her lips against Maura's and lost herself in the sensation of their tender kiss. Maura's fingers came to a rest in her neck and carefully pulled Jane closer. Jane rested her sore and tired body against Maura's and the pain she had felt slowly subsided. He hands trailed up the brunette's arms until they reached her shoulders. It was as far as she could lift her arms without experiencing sharp shots of pain.

"Do you think they know?" Maura asked when they parted and she brushed a strand of hair out of Jane's face. "Korsak and Frost, I mean."

"Maybe," Jane answered and looked at the woman she had considered her best friend but who was now her lover. "Do you want them to know?"

"Statistically, relationships that are kept a secret have less chances of success than those out in the open," Maura explained and when she met Jane's amused gaze, she smiled. Her fingers caressed the detective's cheek, gently trailing the shape of the bruise that sat against her skin. "Too literal?"

"Just a bit."

"Yes, I'd like them to know," Maura replied. Her eyes were smiling. "What about your parents?"

Jane snorted. "It is probably not what Ma expected but at least it will stop her pestering me about my love life." She thought about her words for a moment and pictured her mother's face the moment she told her she was in love with Maura. "Though I don't think they have any problems with it. My cousin Mario is gay. He and Dennis have been together since like forever. I swear he is part of the family furniture by now. How about your parents?"

Maura's face darkened and she averted her eyes. "I, err, I don't speak my parents much. To be honest, I am not sure whether they'd care."

"Oh Maura, of course they'd care! They are your parents; they'd want you to be happy!" Jane urged and took Maura's hand into her own. She remembered what Maura had once told her about her parents, how she had been adopted but that it had felt like they were too caught up in their own lives to really care. Sadness filled her voice. "Are you afraid they will judge you?"

Maura shrugged and sighed. "I don't know, Jane. To tell them would mean actually having to talk to them."

Jane frowned as she read between the lines. "When was the last time you spoke to them?"

"Three years ago," Maura answered and Jane detected the tears in her voice. "I called. They weren't in. I actually left a message on their machine. I even wondered whether they had lost my number and gave it again." Hazel eyes riddled with tears looked up and met Jane's. Her smile was forced and masked the brokenness she hid inside. "They never called back."

"Maura," Jane began but didn't quite know what to say. How do you tell someone their parents loved them regardless when for three years they had heard nothing? She squeezed Maura's hand and sighed. She was about to say something else when her phone vibrated. It lay on the coffee table and she looked at the caller ID. She felt a sense of frustration when she realised it was her mother and sent Maura an apologetic look before answering.

"Hi Ma," she said, faking a tired and groggy voice. "No, I am feeling fantastic. Haven't slept this much since I was a baby." Beside her, Maura smiled. Jane did not let go of her gaze. "No Ma, she is taking excellent care of me." She paused and listened to something Angela said before rolling her eyes. "Listen Ma, I have a headache and I really want to lie down. I'll call you later, OK?" She hung up, put her phone down and leant back in to Maura.

"How about we take a nap?" she asked innocently and Maura shook her head in amusement. "If I remember correctly there is room for two in that bed and you look like hell."

"You look great," she answered and stood up, reaching out a hand. Jane took it and Maura helped her up. Jane's body ached as she stood up and the headache returned. She couldn't believe it had not even been a white lie to get rid of her mother. On their way to the bedroom, Maura grabbed the small jar of painkillers and a glass of water and handed them to Jane.

"I don't need them," Jane argued but Maura popped the lid of the bottle anyway and gave her two capsules. Meekly, Jane put them into her mouth, took a large gulp and then stuck out her tongue to show the tablets were actually gone. Maura nodded approvingly and then watched how Jane clumsily lay down on the bed, desperate to find a position where her body didn't ache as much. Once she had rolled onto her side Maura climbed into the bed too and lay down beside the raven haired detective, facing her. They lay like this, in silence, until Maura's eyes fluttered shut and Jane too slipped off into a comforting slumber.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Three days past in similar fashion and with every passing the day the pain in Jane's body faded more and more and her original energy returned. Maura was adamant she stuck to her bed rest but Jane argued she was just as capable of resting on the couch and she begged Maura whether she could go and get Jo Friday. So now the dog was here too, much to Bass' irritation. The tortoise spent a lot of time hiding under the table since Jo's arrival and Jane and Jo were often cuddled up together, watching crap daytime television. Maura had not returned to work, insisting that she would not leave Jane, and she too could often be found on the couch with Jo and Jane though she would switch the channels to one of her favourite documentaries. It was during those TV moments Jane fell asleep in Maura's arms.

"I really need to get back to work," Jane groaned, four days after the attack. It was the first time she had actually gotten dressed and she was wearing a pair of old jeans and a tank top Maura had taken back with her from her apartment. Maura looked up. She was standing in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, and she turned around.

"No," she answered firmly and put down the knife. She walked over to Jane and her arms slipped around the dark haired woman's waist, pulling her closer. Intense hazel eyes pierced into Jane's dark brown orbs. "Jane, you have a concussion. You need your rest."

"I can rest when I'm dead, Maura. I find myself looking forward to the reruns of The Young and the Restless," Jane answered desperately and raised her hands into the air. "Believe me; I _need _to go back to work!"

Maura gently kissed Jane on her cheek and the tension that had built up in the female detective's body almost instantly disappeared. Maura's slim fingers trailed up Jane's back, caressing her spine and pressing down gently on the parts Maura knew were still causing Jane pain. Jane rested her head on Maura's shoulder in guilt and sighed. "I'm sorry, Maura. I'm making it sound like I don't want to be here."

"I understand," Maura answered and an almost dreamy look appeared in her eyes. She let go of Jane and walked back to the counter and picked up her knife. "I miss my morgue." Jane frowned but Maura continued. "It is so nice and quiet and..."

"Dead?" Jane asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm and Maura looked over her shoulder, smiling.

"That too."

"I wish they'd let me work the case," Jane sighed. "It irritates me that we can't find anything." She leant against the cooking island and watched for a minute or two how Maura cut the tomatoes into small pieces. "It has been four days. He barely left any time between victim three and four. He wanted me to be victim number five but he failed. Why did he not engulf into a spree of rage and kill someone else?"

"You make it sound like you want to find another victim," Maura said without looking up. There was worry in her voice and Jane suspected she didn't turn around because she didn't want Jane to see the look in her eyes.

"I don't want anybody else to get hurt but..." Jane's voice trailed off when the vibrations of her cell phone started. She left the kitchen and grabbed it off the coffee table under which Bass was hiding. Jo was trying to get to him, to play, but the tortoise didn't seem in the least interested. Jane softly shooed Jo away and the dog jumped around her legs as she answered her phone. "Rizzoli."

"Jane." It was Korsak's voice and her heart dropped in her chest. She knew he had not called to check up on her. This was different and her fears were confirmed by the tone of his voice. Her eyes snapped in the direction of the kitchen. Maura was cleaning her hands on a towel and had turned around when she heard Jane answer her phone. Their eyes met across the length of the room. Korsak almost seemed to know what Jane was thinking and his voice betrayed he was smiling. "You think she'd let you go?"

"Only if I can drive," Maura said before Jane had a chance to reply. She had read the look in Jane's eyes but shook her head at her own words. Jane smiled. "This is insane, Jane. I shouldn't let you go."

"We're on our way," Jane said and hung up. She pulled Maura closer and kissed her. Maura answered her kiss and Jane picked up the expensive perfume Maura was wearing. It was her favourite and Maura knew it. When they parted Jane's eyes were twinkling and she took Maura's hand into her own. "Come on, Dr Isles. You have a different patient to care for now."

"Yeah but that one's dead," Maura argued and Jane smiled as she swung her jacket over her shoulders and picked up her bag. She watched how Maura slipped into one of her coats, checked herself in the mirror and opened the front door. Bass shuffled from under the table and hopefully approached the door. Instead, Jane scooped Jo Friday up and when Maura arched an eyebrow she grinned.

"She is driving Bass insane. Do you really think that is fair?"

"They will have to learn to co-exist together," Maura answered and took Jo from Jane's arms and put her down. "No better time than the present."

Maura locked the front door behind them and Jane waited for just a few seconds, taking in the fresh air. She ran her hands through her hair and walked around Maura's car to into the passenger's seat. Maura got in the car too, started the engine and watched with reservation as Jane tuned the radio. When the car filled itself with eighties soft rock, her fine shaped eyebrows shot up but she said nothing. Instead, she drove the car away from her home and down onto the road leading into downtown Boston.

~()~

They arrived in the Roslindale neighbourhood and the apartment complex Korsak had given them the address was not hard to find. The street had been cordoned off about half way down but Jane flashed her badge and the officer guarding it let them through. Maura found an empty spot to park her car, surrounded by police cars and news vans. When they got out, one of the reports spotted them and Jane groaned when the camera crew approached them.

"Dr Isles," the guy began and Jane thought he reminded her of a roach. One you would stamp on but just wouldn't go away. He ignored Jane, not quite having realised who she was and his gaze was fixed on Maura. Being the chief medical examiner made her a familiar face to most of the news crews. "Is it true that the Boston Butcher has struck again?"

Maura stopped in her tracks and turned to the reporter. Her body partially shielded Jane, creating a defence between her and the camera crew. The papers had picked up on the attack on Jane Rizzoli and in the first two days after the attack it had been all they talked about. This included the previous attack Jane had suffered at the hands of Charles Hoyt. Maura's tone was firm but cold. "I'll have a statement for you later tonight. You know the rules of the game."

She took a firm hold of Jane's arm and guided her through the gathered crowd towards the building. As they climbed the steps, Jane turned to look at her.

"What was all of that about?" she demanded, rubbing her arm and shot a look over her shoulder in the direction of the reporters. Most of them were on their cell phones, clearly speaking to their bosses and one or two attempted to get information out of the officers lining the streets.

"They are scavengers," Maura answered and Jane had to force herself not to smile at the anger in Maura's voice. "They have no respect for the dead. Or the living for that matter."

"Come on," Jane said and placed her hand on Maura's back and pushed her inside. The doors closed behind them and they stood in the small hall. It was quiet and the sudden silence startled Jane. Dark eyes snapped around the room, looking for shadows that weren't there. Maura walked up to the elevator but turned around when she realised Jane was not following. Hazel eyes narrowed.

"Jane?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Jane said quickly and stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, Maura searched for her hand and gently squeezed it. Jane looked at her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Maura asked and worried eyes searched the detective's face. Jane knew she was looking for signs of pain and discomfort. She had a pounding headache but she hid her feelings behind her professional cop mask. There was no time for this now. She rubbed her hands together and briefly looked down at her damaged fingers. The cuts had begun to heal and most of the scabs had fallen off. She would have more scars now; left behind by two separate serial killers.

"I need to do this," Jane insisted and Maura nodded. Her hand slipped from Jane's as they reached the fifth floor. The doors swung open and revealed a mass of police. They walked down the corridor and found Frost standing outside apartment 25B. He looked like he had seen a ghost and his eyes found Jane's as she walked up to him.

"Is it him?" Jane asked even though she already knew the answer. Frost nodded and Jane shot Maura a look. The brunette pathologist made her way into the apartment and Jane looked at her partner.

"Why did Korsak call me?"

"He said you'd be suffering from cabin fever by now," Frost answered with a smile. Jane felt a gush of warmth spread over her when she heard those words. "And we all know that Jane 'The Pit bull' Rizzoli never lets go off a case."

She sent him a smile and walked into the apartment. She changed her mind and looked back. Frost looked up when she called for him. "Hey, you don't really call me that, do you?"

"Call you what?"

"Pit bull Rizzoli."

"Of course not," Frost answered and their eyes met. Jane wasn't sure whether he was sincere and she narrowed her eyes. He smiled as their gazes locked. "You look good, Jane."

She walked into the apartment and followed Maura's voice into the bedroom. She looked up when Jane entered the room and her eyes lit up and she even stopped examining the body. Jane's eyes briefly met Maura's and slowly approached the bed. Her heart was hammering in her chest and the nausea she had felt when the killer had attacked her returned. She rubbed her hands together, nervously, and her eyes eventually fell on the woman on the bed. Her breath choked in the back of her throat and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Jane?" Maura questioned softly and she took off her gloves before placing her hands on Jane's arms. She forced the darker haired woman to meet her eyes. "Come on, let's go outside."

"No," Jane breathed and looked at Maura. "I need to look at her, Maura."

Maura's hands slopped from Jane's arms and she stepped aside. She watched how Jane walked up to the bed and her eyes briefly flashed in Korsak's direction. He met her gaze and nodded. He had read the pathologist's mind. Jane stood frozen, staring at the dead woman's face. Thick, black strands of hair covered the right side of the victim's face and masked the large bruised that had formed on her pale skin. Her eyes were no longer dark and had glazed over, staring into everlasting emptiness. She was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a white blouse. The killer had not covered her this time and the clothes and bed sheets were soaked in blood. The smell of iron has filled Jane's nose and she swallowed.

"He didn't pose her like he did the others," she said slowly, her eyes still fixed on the woman's face. Her eyes narrowed and she turned to look at Maura. Everything about this scene seemed different than the ones they had encountered before. "How long has she been dead?"

"Rigor mortis has dissipated," Maura said, now approaching the bed. "Room temperature is normal." She put a clean set of gloves on and looked at Jane, who had wrinkled her nose at the smell of iron mixed with decomposition. Several police officers had left the room and the apartment and Korsak, who stood by the bedroom window, looked out to find some of them being faced with the breakfast they had consumed that morning. "Flies are present. My guess..."

"Your guess?" Jane echoed and briefly looked at Maura. "Why doctor Isles..."

"Jane," Maura smiled, interrupting her. "She has been dead three to four days. I will have a more specific time of death when I get her back to the morgue. But there has been a lot of insect activity, it might take me awhile."

"Three to four days," Jane said and turned around, away from the bed. She stalked out of the bedroom, across the apartment and out into the corridor. She heard Maura's heels behind her but didn't stop. She reached the elevator, pushed past two uniformed officers without apologising and frantically started pushing the buttons. She spun around when Maura placed a hand on her shoulder and intense, frustrated dark eyes met hazel brown.

"What?" she snapped and Maura looked at her. "She lies dead in there, Maura! Because he failed to kill me! He went out to find somebody else and..." Her words trailed off when the elevator arrived and she stepped in. Maura didn't hesitate and followed her. As the doors closed, she took Jane's hand into her own and forced the detective to look at her.

"Don't do this to yourself, Jane," she insisted and Jane averted her eyes. "This isn't your fault!"

"Really?" Jane asked and slammed her fist against the elevator door in frustration. The metallic bang echoed on for a little while and Maura didn't answer. Jane's dark eyes found Maura and she silently apologised. "He went out to find someone else because..." She swallowed hard. "Because I refused to die."

Maura rose to her tiptoes and kissed Jane on her forehead before pulling her closer. Jane willingly rested her suddenly tired feeling body against Maura's and when the doors swung open and revealed the building's entrance, they did not break apart. Maura's touch was comforting and erased the haunting sense of guilt that now held Jane prisoner. Jane felt sick to her stomach and shook her head in defeat. She eventually stepped out of the elevator, her legs felt like jelly. Her heart hammered in her chest and the nausea only subsided when she and Maura walked out of the building and Jane's lungs eagerly filled with fresh air.

"This scene showed rage," Jane said, ignoring the excited voices of the camera crews a few steps away. She was speaking quietly enough for them not to hear her. "What are the chances of him finding another victim after..." She paused, realising what she had been about to say. "He must have a list. He must have some sort of record of women he has seen. How else would he have gotten from my place to here? And how did he just happen upon a dark haired, single woman in an apartment?"

Maura's eyes narrowed. "This tells me he watches his potential victims. He doesn't just see them down the road and follows them. He watches their routine." Her voice shook as her eyes met Jane's. They shared a mutual look of understanding laced with fear. "This means he stalked them."

"If I had managed to hold on to him," Jane began but Maura caught her off.

"NO!" she said through clenched teeth and grasped Jane's arm. "You are not doing this to yourself, Jane!"

"I did this to her!" Jane exclaimed, louder than she had intended and stared at the apartment building. She knew her guilt was irrational but that did not make it any less real. "If I had not fought him off…"

"Then we would all have been standing over your dead body," Maura finished Jane's sentence and the harsh reality hit the both of them. Jane looked at Maura, shocked, and the brunette pathologist felt her eyes fill up with tears. She averted her gaze and glanced down the street. The news scavengers were still filling the street like roaches and she felt anger boil in her veins.

"How did he get from my place to Roslindale?" Jane said and her eyes drifted around the scene. "Streets are busy, traffic moves slowly. You say she has been dead three to four days. That left him very little time to actually locate her. What are the chances he actually ran into another brunette who lives in an apartment, on her own?"

"He watches his victims. Stalks them," Maura answered and her eyes met Jane's. They shared a moment of understanding and Jane felt a cold shiver creep down her back. Had he watched her? Had he seen her as she came home from work? Had he watched her as she walked into the building together with Maura? Where had he been? Outside? Across the street? Anywhere?

"He must have a list. He would not have succeeded in finding another victim so quickly," Maura concluded and she took Jane's hand into her own. "Jane..."

"He would not have come for her if he had not come for me first," Jane said, louder than she had intended but not loud enough for the news crews to hear her. "If he had..." Her voice trailed off when she saw the look in Maura's eyes and her lips curled up into a sad smile. She looked at Maura's hand holding hers and sighed. "Why the hell is this happening again?"

"I don't know, Jane," Maura answered and started down the steps leading to the road. Jane followed her and ignored the pestering journalists and buzzing cameras. Maura opened the car door for her and Jane got into the passenger's seat and rested her head back. Maura got in on the other side but didn't start the engine straight away. She glanced at Jane and leant in.

"We will find him," she reassured her lover and Jane looked up. "Listen to me, Jane."

"I heard you," Jane whispered and briefly brushed her lips against Maura's. "How, Maura? He has left no prints, no DNA. His prints are not in the system."

"How can someone not be in any system?" Maura thought out loud and the look in her eyes changed and Jane recognised it as the look she often saw when Maura examined her dead bodies. "Almost all jobs ask for fingerprint identification these days. Law enforcement, military, government and any job that puts someone in possession of possible sensitive information."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Maura, that really tells us nothing."

Maura's fine shaped eyebrows shot up. "It tells us he doesn't work in any of the above mentioned jobs."

Jane couldn't suppress a smirk. "Which is still nothing."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Jane was quiet for most of the drive home and Maura occasionally shot her a worried look. She knew Jane well enough to know that when the dark haired detective turned inside herself, she allowed the dark thoughts to take over. Jane stared out of the car window, watching Boston flash by outside. She had grown up here, lived here all her live. She had never known or seen anything else but Boston and now, yet again, the city was being terrorised by another serial killer and she felt like a failure for not having been able to get to him when she had the chance.

When they arrived back at Maura's place Jane got out of the car without even waiting for Maura. She slammed the door behind her and stalked to the front door only to realise she had no keys and could not get in. She looked over her shoulder, clearly irritated, and watched as Maura climbed out of the car, locked it and walked up to her. She bit down on her tongue to swallow the sharp comment she had been about to make when she caught the look in Maura's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said and Maura simply placed her hand on Jane's arm. "I..."

"Let's go inside," Maura suggested and unlocked the front door. They stepped into the house and were greeted by Jo Friday who came racing out of the living room and jumped around their legs just as long until Maura knelt down to the floor and fussed her. Jo rolled over onto her back, exposing her belly, and Maura smiled.

"Well, she's not covered in blood," When Jane gave her a look she shrugged. "Clearly Bass didn't kill her."

Jane didn't answer and walked into the living room. Maura followed and sat down beside Jane. The dark haired detective threw her head back in frustration, ignoring the sharp headache, and ran her fingers through her hair. She groaned in anger and looked at Maura. The frustration was visible in her eyes and the pathologist's hand squeezed Jane's. "What did I miss? What did I do wrong?"

"This is not your fault, Jane," Maura said firmly, pulling Jane closer. The taller woman rested her head on Maura's shoulder and slowly relaxed as her lover's fingers brushed through her hair. "You mustn't blame yourself."

"Tell that to her family," Jane sighed, staring a blank spot on the wall. Her face was a mask of anger mixed with guilt. "His anger resulted in her death. I am a cop, Maura. I am trained to tackle suspects in any situation and I couldn't even get to him in my own home!"

"Jane," Maura began but she realised that all her words would only fall onto deaf ears. She sat quietly, her fingers running through Jane's hair. She felt so fragile in her arms. Jane was never the one to show weakness but as she laid here, her body resting against Maura's, she could see it. Jane felt safe enough to let some of her guard down but with that came the feelings of guilt and failure.

"Maybe I am not cut out for this after all," Jane sighed and looked at her hands. The scars left behind by Charles Hoyt sat on her skin, looking raised and sore. They were surrounded by the healing cuts from the attack she suffered the other night. More scars that reminded her she had failed. That's what the scars symbolised to her. Weakness and failure. She turned so she could look at Maura. "What if because of Hoyt... what if I failed..."

Maura looked at Jane. The detective's dark eyes looked tired and somewhere behind them tears had welled up.

"You are not weak, Jane. And Hoyt has not damaged you," she reassured her and when Jane raised her hands in protest, showing the scars, she shook her head. "Those scars are not a sign of weakness. And what happened the other night is not a sign of weakness. You were injured, you were hurt. Anybody else would have done the same under those circumstances and there comes a time you have to admit that to yourself. You cannot stand there and expect to be able to fight the world on your own, Jane."

Jane didn't answer and Maura's words echoed through her head. She lay still, staring at her hands. She could not erase the image of the last victim's face. The scene had been so much messier and the smell of blood still lingered in her nostrils. It was hard to believe it had taken three or four days for someone to find her. The thought of having been left dead and alone made Jane feel sick. And it was that same realisation that made her sit up, startled. She stared at Maura.

"Why did nobody notice she was missing?" she questioned and Maura's eyes narrowed. "She had a job, right? Judging from the apartment and where she lived, it was quite a well-paid one too. Somebody like her is noticed," Jane paused for a moment, realising half her building knew she was a cop. "People would see her, notice her. Around the building or around the work place. So why did nobody raise the alarm when she did not report to work for several days?"

"Maybe Korsak and Frost will have an answer later today," Maura said and she watched the expression on Jane's face change. She rubbed her hands together before she stood up and began pacing around the room. The pain in her head only got worse but she ignored it. Her muscles still protested whenever she moved and the stitches had begun to irritate her as the wounds had started to heal. Maura had told her several times to stop scratching. Maura's eyes followed Jane as she walked from one side of the room to the other and Bass peered from under the coffee table, watching the dark detective walk past his hiding place.

"Jane, come and sit down. You're making me dizzy," Maura insisted but Jane didn't stop. Maura knew this was inevitable. Jane was a restless soul, one who could not sit around and watch the scenes unfold without being a part of it. The irritation over being stuck at home was eating her alive. Maura took a deep breath. "Listen, if it makes you happy I can do the autopsy today. It might give you some answers."

Jane met Maura's eyes. "I am not staying here alone!"

"Somehow I didn't think you would," Maura's lips curled up into a smile. "How about I ask Korsak to look after you, for a few hours?"

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "You make it sound like you're hiring a baby sitter."

"I am."

"Maura!"

"Desk work only. You are not to leave the department," Maura said, her hazel eyes piercing into Jane's and Jane was briefly reminded of her mother giving a lecture after she had sustained yet another injury when playing outside with the boys from the neighbourhood. "You suffered a concussion, Jane. Too much exercise may lead to more damage or a permanent brain injury!"

"Sitting around here all day will lead to permanent brain injury," Jane answered but her eyes had ignited with passion now that Maura had agreed to take her back to the department. She sat down beside her lover and her arms snaked around her neck, pulling her closer. Maura willingly allowed Jane to pull her in and her hands trailed down the dark haired woman's back.

Their kiss grew in passion and intensity and Jane's hands played with the hem of Maura's shirt, slipping underneath and caressing the bare flesh of her stomach. The brunette took a sharp breath in when Jane's slim fingers discovered the wires of her bra and hazel eyes snapped open to meet glistening dark brown. Jane smiled into their kiss and when they broke apart, both women were panting slightly. Jane's eyes narrowed and Maura recognised the playful twinkle.

"How long before I can exercise, doctor Isles?" she asked, smirking and Maura's hand cupped Jane's cheek. Her heart was hammering in her chest with excitement and her blood rushed through her veins. She could not remember ever having felt so warm. Jane's touch had brought out something she had never quite experienced before and it left her both startled as well as longing for more.

"Soon," Maura answered and smiled. "Do you want to get changed before we go?"

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "What, do I look that bad?"

"No more than usual," Maura answered and stood up. "Come on then, if we're quick Korsak might have left you a donut."

Jane laughed as she grabbed her bag from the kitchen counter, found her keys and phone and pushed them into her pocket. Her face had lit up and Maura watched in amusement how the pride with which Jane always carried herself returned. The powerful stride, the no-nonsense body posture; they all appeared again now that she allowed her to return to work.

"Don't count on it. Korsak never shares his donuts with anyone. But on the upside, I can get him to bring me coffee all day long."

~()~

"Yo Rizzoli, what are you doing here?" One of the other detectives called when Jane pushed open the doors leading to the homicide department. She cast him a beaming smile, brushed a strand of hair from her face and made her way across the room to her desk. The air that surrounded her was one that screamed pride, strength and a hint of arrogance. Maura followed her, her eyes scanning the department for Korsak and she found him sitting behind his desk. He had looked up when Jane walked in and now stood up, ready to greet her.

"Paperwork only, Korsak," Maura said sharply and loud enough for the whole department to hear. Jane spun around, feeling her cheeks redden with embarrassment. Around her, others looked up and watched in amusement how Maura lectured Korsak on how to deal with Jane.

"Who are you and what have you done to Angela Rizzoli?" Frost asked Maura, causing Jane to cast him a demonic glare.

"If I see her running down any corridors..." Maura said, her eyes fixed on Korsak and if Jane didn't know Maura so well she'd actually be worried. Korsak seemed amused and when Jane met his eyes she realised he knew why Maura was being so defensive. She sat down and buried her head in the pile of paperwork, knowing full well what was to come once Maura had left.

She heard her lover's voice continuing to lecture her former partner. "Let's just say that this would be your last donut. I have plenty of freezer space downstairs. Don't make me fill it with you."

Maura turned around and looked at Jane sitting at her desk. She walked over to her and they looked at each other, unsure what to do next. They had not told anybody about their relationship, even though they had decided they wanted people to know. But now the awkwardness between filled the room as both women were unsure whether to kiss the other goodbye. Jane's dark eyes met Maura's and she smiled.

"If I come and visit you, do I end up in one of your freezers too?" she asked casually and Maura smiled.

"No," Maura answered simply and briefly put her hand on Jane's. She turned around and walked away. Jane's eyes followed her until she walked out of the department and the doors closed behind her. A sigh escaped from her throat and she felt a sense of loneliness now that Maura was gone. But her eyes were drawn back to the desk and the mounting pile of paperwork. Dark eyes snapped in Korsak's direction.

"You couldn't have done some of this while I was away?" she asked, pointing at paperwork relating to cases she closed several weeks ago. Korsak merely grinned. "What kind of a partner are you?"

"What's going on with you and Dr Death?" he asked instead and Jane felt her cheeks turn an intense shade of scarlet. She looked away it but it was too late. Frost looked up from behind his computer and he and Korsak shared a high five.

"Don't call her that," Jane sighed, knowing full well she had been the first one to give Maura the rather unflattering nickname. She stared at the files on her desk. "And why do you always have to ask the obvious? Did they not teach you observation skills at the Academy?"

"I was sick that day."

"As well as every other day?" Jane retorted and Korsak pulled a face of mock hurt. Her dark eyes twinkled and she took the first file from the pile and opened it. Korsak started humming something that sounded an awful lot like "_Jane and Maura sitting in a tree_..." She looked at him. "Mind your own business, jerk!"

"Ooooh, very snappy, Rizzoli," Frost joked and Jane glanced at her partner. The smirk on his face told her he already knew what was going on between her and Maura and she sighed. "Can't handle all the questions about your new found love life?"

"At least I _have_ a love life."

"She got you there, my man," Korsak laughed and slapped Frost on the back. He then looked at Jane and smiled. Clearly their conversation in the Dirty Robber the week before had changed some things and he felt a sense of gratification that he had pushed them in the right direction. It had been obvious for way too long. "Oh come on Jane."

"I have to get stabbed for her to finally acknowledge she loves me," Jane sighed and Frost and Korsak shared a look of triumph. Jane looked up and rolled her eyes. The sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Why are things never ever easy with Maura?"

"Have you told your parents yet?" Korsak asked, his eyes now fixed on the department door. Frankie Rizzoli had a habit of wandering in unannounced, and he would surely do so once the news of his sister's return spread around the precinct, and he would hate for Jane's brother to overhear their conversation. The rest of the department had gone back to work and the conversation was limited to the three of them.

Jane laughed. "Can you imagine Ma's face?"

Frost grinned. Everybody knew Angela Rizzoli and he could quite easily imagine her reaction to her daughter's revelation. The woman was overbearing and overprotective but her heart was in the right place. "When will you tell them?"

Jane cocked her head. "Are we really having this conversation?" She looked at Korsak and Frost. "Am I really sitting here talking to you two about me and Maura? Is it really that easy?" She rubbed her forehead; a pained expression appeared on her face. "I must have hit my head harder than I thought."

Korsak placed a hand on her shoulder. "You do know that it has never been an issue with any of us, right?"

Jane looked up and smiled. She had never once thought that Korsak or Frost would have a problem with her sexuality. It was not the way they rolled. And Korsak had practically pushed her into Maura's arms. But she had expected to have more problems with herself. And the fact that there were none surprised her, frightened her even. "I think I had expected it to have been more of an issue for myself. It just feels so natural."

There was a silence that lasted for a few seconds and was then interrupted by Frost's phone ringing. He answered, scribbled something down on a piece of paper and hung up. He stood up, walked around his desk and towards the whiteboard. Jane followed him, as did Korsak and the three of them stared at the pictures of the dead women, their bloodied faces forever imprinted in Jane's mind. She was relieved to see her own picture was not among them but she did recognise her version of events as they had happened, written out in Frost's neat handwriting. She sent him a sideways look.

"More DNA has been found at the scene," Frost said and shook his head. "It matches what we found before but we have no sample to match it to and identify the attacker."

"Hang on," Jane suddenly said and dug her phone out of her pocket. She hit the first speed dial button and Maura answered a few seconds later. "Maura, remember how you said that our attacker has most likely got a medical condition?"

"Hyperhidrosis or Bromhidrosis?" Maura asked and Jane nodded, even though Maura could not see her. Maura's clear voice repeated something Jane had heard many times before. "Jane, I can't actually diagnose those unless I see."

"No, Maura. I am not asking you to identify them," Jane cut her off and Frost and Korsak shared a look. "Are there any places in Boston that offer treatment for these conditions?"

"There is no treatment that cures the condition," Maura answered and Jane was about to groan in frustration when Maura continued. "But a variety of options are offered to relieve some of the symptoms. They vary from topic antibacterial or drying agents or, in more extreme treatment cases, laser and botulinum toxin."

"Are there any places in the Boston area who offer this kind of treatment?" Jane asked.

"The Dermatology Department at the Boston Medical Centre has been running a treatment programme for some time," Maura answered and Jane felt her heart jump up with hope. "What, you think you think the killer may have received treatment?"

"The condition is rare and attracts a lot of attention. Even if he did not sign up, someone might know him. It's worth a try," Jane answered and smiled. "Thanks, Maura." She hung up and looked at Frost and Korsak, the latter was already dialling a number on his phone. It looked like they had finally found a way to possibly identify their serial killer and Jane could feel the excitement rush through her veins.

"How long does it take to get a court order that will give us access to their patient records?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Boston Medical Centre was located in the historic South End and apart from being an impressive hospital it was also the primary teaching affiliate for Boston University School of Medicine. Maura had insisted she'd come with Jane and Frost. Jane suspected it had everything to do with Maura wanting to keep an eye on her, and making sure she wasn't overexerting herself, even though Maura said she had done a variety of her medical rotations there and she merely wanted to go and see how things had changed.

They walked into the Dermatology building and Jane looked around. Posters announcing that the department would soon be moving to a newer site riddled the walls, accompanied by posters warning people and informing them about a variety of skin diseases. Simply looking at them made Jane itch and she nervously scratched the scabs on the back of her hands.

Maura had approached the front desk and talked to one of the nurses, explaining to her why they were here. The red haired woman spoke with what sounded like a Philly accent and picked up the phone, pressed a button and waited for someone to answer. She said something Jane couldn't quite hear. Her eyes were fixed on Maura, who was leaning against the desk and she tried to imagine her walking through these hallways, in her designer dresses and white doctor's coat. Somehow the image didn't stick.

"Dr Johnson will be here shortly. He is currently with a patient. Please take a seat," the nurse said and as Jane walked past the desk her eyes were drawn to the name badge. Loraine. The corners of her mouth twitched and she sat down in between Maura and Frost, who seemed even more uncomfortable than Jane.

"Relax, these ones are actually alive," Jane hissed through clenched teeth and her partner sent her a dark look. She smirked and looked at Maura, whose eyes longingly wandered around. Jane wondered how much she'd give for a place as well lit, well aired and up to date like this compared her dimly lit, rather smelly and occasionally drafty morgue. The light in here almost felt natural compared to the horrific artificial lights in Maura's morgue.

"What made you decide to become a pathologist?" Jane curiously asked Maura and the brunette looked up. "Surely well-lit corridors, windows and fresh air are far more appealing? Imagine, you could have been working here."

"I would not have met you," Maura said and Jane pulled a face. There was not a trace of humour in Maura's voice. She was dead serious. "Not to mention that all these patients are alive."

"Oh yes, I forgot. You're afraid of people. Live ones, anyway," Jane answered and Maura simply arched her eyebrows but her hazel eyes twinkled. "What rotations did you do here?"

"Internal Medicine and Psychiatry," Maura answered and her voice trailed off. "An interesting time."

"Psychiatry," Frost echoed and pulled a face Jane assumed was supposed to be funny though she failed to see the humour. "I can see why that would be interesting. All those schizo's."

"You should try working with you," Maura answered without looking at either Jane or Frost. Her voice was flat and serious. "And to think some of those patients had serious issues. I have seen far more severe cases walking around at Boston PD."

"Thank you, Maura," Jane answered dismissively and looked up when a door opened somewhere. A few seconds later a tall, slightly pale man appeared. He was wearing one of the typical white doctor's coats, with pencils tucked into his breast pocket and a stethoscope around his neck. He could not have been a bigger cliché if he had tried. Underneath the coat he was wearing a pair of old, faded Levis and a simple black buttoned shirt. Jane's eyes wandered up and encountered steel blue eyes and a friendly smile.

"Dr Marcus Johnson," he introduced himself and stuck out his hand. His eyes had fixed on Jane. "Detective Rizzoli?"

"Yes," Jane answered quickly and shook his hand. It was a firm handshake and she resisted rubbing her hands when he let go. She glanced at Frost and Maura, the latter was staring at Dr Johnson with what Jane could only describe as loathing. "These are Detective Frost and Dr Isles. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice." She took the court order from her inner pocket and sighed. "I am never a fan of doing this like this, as I do understand the importance of doctor-patient confidentiality but..."

"We can talk in my office," Dr Johnson answered and gestured for them to follow him. Frost was right on his heels, clearly eager to leave the waiting room and eerie looking posters. Maura held back and Jane looked at her.

"What?" she hissed and Maura shot her a look.

"He was checking you out," Maura whispered through clenched teeth and Jane almost felt her jaw drop.

"No shit, Sherlock!" she answered and grabbed Maura's arm and they quickly caught up with Frost and Dr Johnson.

Maura turned to Jane before stepping into the office and hazel eyes met dark brown. "I don't like it."

Jane shook her head. "There are plenty of things in life that I don't like. Now go inside!"

Dr Marcus Johnson's office reminded Jane of an old study. The desk was made from dark hardwood and the chairs were all made from real leather. The room had a wooden floor and one of the walls was decorated with diplomas and other certificates he had achieved. The other wall was taken up by a bookcase crammed with books, magazines and notebooks. She sat down in one of the armchairs and sank deep into the comfortable leather. She suppressed a sigh as her muscles relaxed and looked at Maura, who had taken the other seat. Frost stood by the large window.

"How may I help you?" Marcus Johnson asked and he looked at Jane. There was something uncomfortable about the way he looked at her, Jane thought. At first glance he had seemed attractive but he made no effort of hiding that he clearly thought the same about her. Her gaze dropped to his hands. No wedding ring. She should have known. By now he would have registered she was not wearing one either.

"As I am sure you know Boston is currently in the grip of another serial killer," Frost began and Johnson looked at him.

"The Butcher? That's the case you're working on?" he asked in surprise. "How is that connected to my patients?"

"There is a detail that has not been given to the press, concerning the attacker's medical condition," Jane said, making sure she phrased her words carefully. "We have reasons to believe he either suffers from Hyperhidrosis or Bromhidrosis, possibly even both."

"I thought all the victims of the Butcher were dead," Johnson thought out loud and Maura sat up.

"One isn't," she answered defensively and Jane felt a sense of warmth spread through her. She looked beside her. Maura sat up straight, her hands neatly folded in her lap and her legs crossed. She looked amazing in her white dress and matching shoes. Her hair fell wavy down her shoulders and Jane realised just how beautiful she really was.

Marcos Johnson looked at Jane. She could sense his reluctance to hand over the files. All doctors were the same. It was why she did not like to serve them with paperwork. "You said you have a court order for my patient files?"

Jane handed him the paperwork and waited patiently for him to read it. When he was finished he looked up, realised there was nothing else he could do than to give in and stood up. He opened a drawer in a file cabinet in the corner and picked up a small stack of files. "The condition is rare. We treat people who live both locally and further afield, outside the state of Massachusetts." He searched through his files and put a few back. "These are all my patients with one or both conditions." He handed them to Frost and walked back around his desk. "Are you sure he is one of mine?"

Jane shrugged. "We don't know. What are the chances of someone being out there without receiving treatment?"

"Not everybody wants treatment, detective. Some of them have simply given up or don't even know what options they have. They live their live in shame and embarrassment. I don't know of anybody in the Boston area who suffers from the condition and is not receiving treatment here. And if there was, I'd probably know. If your killer suffers from the condition and he receives treatment, he will be in these files."

"Thank you," Jane answered and stood up. "I promise we'll be discreet about the patient's details and will return the files to you once have finished processing them."

"I have copies," Johnson answered and watched how Jane, Frost and Maura walked to the door. Frost was the first one outside, followed by Maura. Jane was last and she turned around when she could feel Johnson's eyes on her.

"Detective, I was wondering whether you'd like to go for coffee..." he began but Jane produced an apologetic smile and his voice trailed off, realising his defeat.

"Sorry," she answered with a smile and gestured at Maura, who was watching her. "But I have to decline..." She gave him a quick nod and then left the office. He watched her from the open door and Jane joined Maura and Frost and the three off them walked back through the hallway, through the patient waiting area and back out of the building. It wasn't until they stepped outside that Jane realised how much the building had smelt of that horrible hospital scent and she took in a deep breath of fresh air. Her lungs eagerly expanded and she then looked at Maura, who seemed rather annoyed.

"Oh come on, Maura," she smiled and pushed her lover against her shoulder. "It's not like he can read it off my face."

"Maybe you should wear a ring," Maura suggested and Frost looked from Jane to Maura and back.

"That has got to be the strangest proposal I have ever heard!"

Jane's eyes narrowed and there was a hint of worry in her voice. "Maura, are you serious?"

"Not a wedding ring, Jane," Maura answered as they walked towards Frost's car. Jane gave her a sideways glance as she got into the backseat. Maura had insisted sitting in the front. She put her seatbelt on and leant forward until her chin rested on the passengers chair and Maura's hair tickled her face. It smelt of latex gloves mixed with vanilla. It was a rather disturbing scent.

"Then exactly what kind of a ring do you want me to wear?"

Maura casually shrugged. "We'll think about it."

Jane leant back. "I'm sure we will."

~()~

Back at the homicide department Jane and Frost made a list of all the male patients in the files and it was up to Frost to cross reference them with any possible criminal records. While he was doing that, Jane went through her pile of old paperwork. She could not quite focus and her head felt fuzzy. She searched her bag for the jar of painkillers Maura had given her and took two, swallowing them down with a cold swirl of coffee. She rested her head in her hands and sighed. Her eyes were hurting and she was tired. She had only been here for a few hours, though far longer than Maura had intended, and her body was given her clear signals it wanted to go home. To have to admit her defeat was hard and Jane sighed in frustration.

"You know, if Maura is still busy in autopsy I can drive you home if you like," Korsak said and Jane looked up.

"Trying to get rid of me are ya?"

"Nah, just trying to get rid of the miserable face you're pulling."

"Thanks," Jane muttered and stood up. "It is so frustrating."

"I know, Jane. But maybe it is better if you do go home," Korsak said and checked his watch. "Come on, you can call Maura from the car."

~()~

She closed the front door to Maura's place behind her and listened to Jo's excited paws echoing off the wooden floor and knelt down to the ground to give her dog a cuddle. Jo rolled over and Jane fussed her for some time before standing up and walking into the kitchen. She found Bass by the kitchen island and reached for one of the strawberries Maura kept especially for him. She dangled it in front of him, trying to coax him out of his shell, but there was no reaction and she left it in front of him on the floor.

"Suit yourself, you fool," she sighed and opened the fridge. She poured herself a glass of coke and walked from the kitchen to the bedroom. There she stripped off her socks and pants and lay down on the bed in just her shirt and panties, leaving the glass on the side table. Her headache had begun to subside but her body was tired and for a brief moment she allowed herself to close her eyes. The comfortable feeling of sleep almost immediately washed over her and she gladly fell into the depths of her dreams.

When she opened her eyes darkness had fallen and she sat up with a jolt. Her heart hammered in her chest and her eyes quickly adapted to her surroundings. She could make out the shape of the bedside table, the closet and the mirror. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard an unfamiliar sound and her hands automatically searched the bedside table for her gun.

Upon realising that it wasn't there panic set in and Jane slipped off the bed. She used her feet to search the floor and quickly found her pants. Her gun lay on top of it and she quickly picked it up. She made her way across the dark room towards the door, her heart beating in the back of her throat and trembling fingers reached for the door handle. The metal felt cold against her skin.

She opened the door and looked down the hallway separating it from the living room. It was dark. Jane stepped out of the room, her back pressed against the wall and slowly walked towards the living room, her gun drawn. Her arms felt sore and her muscles protested against the position but she ignored it. She reached the living room and looked around. It was abandoned. A sigh of relief escaped from her throat and she looked back over her shoulder. Just as she was about to lower her gun, another thud startled her and her head whipped back round and she bit down on her lip. With her free hand she searched the wall for the light switch and flicked it. A second lather the living room was bathing in light and Jane' eye fell on Bass, who was shuffling around the room.

"Freaking tortoise!" Jane hissed, lowering her gun.

There was a metallic click and Jane recognised the sound of a key being turned. She flicked the light switch again and the room was shrouded in darkness. She pressed herself against the wall and aimed her gun at the front door. She heard it open and a cold draft spread around the house. A shadow appeared on the wall as the outside light fell into the room.

"Jane?"

Maura's voice cut through the darkness and the lights came on. She turned around and found Jane standing by the wall, gun drawn. Hazel eyes widened in shock before she hurried across the room and took Jane's hands into her own, forcing the dark haired detective to look at her.

"Jane, what on Earth are you doing?" she urged and released Jane's tight grip on the gun. She put it down and looked at her lover. Jane's empty eyes met Maura's and the brunette searched her face. "Jane?"

"Maura," Jane whispered. "I-I thought I heard..."

"It's OK," Maura said softly and then she noticed Jane was only partially dressed. "Why are you half naked?"

"I fell asleep."

"Good. For a moment I feared it was Boston PD's new method of detaining suspects," Maura answered and wrapped an arm around Jane, leading her back the bedroom. She sat her down on the bed before sitting down beside her and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her lover's face. "You must have been so scared."

Jane looked at Maura and sighed. "I still am."

"I know," Maura whispered and softly kissed Jane's cheek. The dark haired detective turned her head and captured Maura's lips with her own before the brunette could pull away. The kiss grew in passion and Jane's arms wrapped around Maura's back, pulling her closer until they lost their balance and tumbled backwards onto the bed. Maura now lay on top of Jane and looked at her lover, slightly worried.

"Jane," she said softly and looked into her eyes. "We should..."

"Just forget about the world," Jane finished Maura's sentence and lifted herself up to kiss her again. Her hands slipped into Maura's hair and ran down her back before reaching the zip of her dress and carefully she zipped it down. The fabric slid away from Maura's skin, revealing the flesh that lay hidden underneath. Jane gasped as Maura slipped out of her dress, revealing a matching light laced pink bra and panties. She looked at her, taking in her beauty and smiled.

"You are so beautiful, Maura Isles," she breathed as she pulled her nearer and her lips gently sucked on the pulsating vein in Maura's neck. The brunette tilted her head and her wavy hair rained down her back. She shivered as Jane's fingers unhooked her bra and let it slip down her arms before it landed on the floor. Her own shaking hands pulled Jane's shirt over her head and she looked past the bruises on the other woman's skin. All she saw was the beauty with which Jane's body had been sculptured. The firm breasts, the strong muscles and toned arms. Jane was wearing a simple black bra and looked almost apologetic at the contrast it created against Maura's expensive looking underwear.

Maura gently unhooked Jane's bra and revealed the tender flesh that lay behind it. Their bodies lay entangled, almost naked and their hands began a journey of exploration and adventure. Hot lips traced, nipped and sucked at glowing skin and beads of sweat glistened on burning flesh. Nails scratched gently down spines, arms and stomachs and teeth sunk hungrily into soft, tender flesh. It was as if they fitted together perfectly.

Maura's hands cupped the swells of Jane's breasts, followed the lines of her muscles and the curve of her stomach whilst Jane's hands ran through Maura's thick hair, down her neck and shoulder blades before encountering the perfect sculptured breasts before sliding down further, dipping into the navel and following the round shapes of her thighs. Beads of sweat glistened on Maura's forehead as Jane touched her, explored her in a way nobody had ever before and her fingers dug deeply into the mattress and clung onto the sheets as their bodies moved in a simultaneous rhythm that truly made them forget about the world.

~()~

When they woke the early morning sunlight was falling through the open curtains. Jane lay on her stomach, one arm wrapped securely around Maura's waist. The brunette pathologist lay on her side, facing the darker haired woman and she was still soundly asleep. Her chest was rising and falling slowly and Jane watched her for a few moments, a smile playing on her lips. Her fingers drew circles on Maura's naked back and she gently kissed her shoulder. The touch of her lips made the other woman stir and Maura's hazel eyes opened and were greeted by Jane's smile.

"Morning," Jane whispered with a sleepy voice and her fingers slipped from Maura's back to her face and brushed some hair aside. "Did you sleep OK?"

"Wonderful," Maura answered. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have been hit by a bus but it was worth it," Jane answered and slipped one of her arms around Maura, pulling her closer. The smaller woman rested her head on Jane's naked chest and listened to her heart beat. Jane kissed her on the head and smiled. "I could get used to this."

"To what?" Maura asked.

"Waking up with you," Jane answered and Maura smiled.

The buzzing of Jane's ringtone interrupted their cuddle and Jane groaned and slipped out of bed, naked. She searched the floor for her pants and found her cell phone in its pocket whilst swearing under her breath. When she answered and turned around she realised Maura was watching her with great amusement and pulled a face. She could only imagine the sight she looked; naked whilst on the phone.

"Rizzoli," The look in her eyes changed and Maura sat up. "OK, thanks Frost."

"What is it?" Maura asked and Jane sighed as she crawled back into the bed and pressed her cold feet against Maura's warm legs.

"They have a possible match," Jane whispered and rested her head on Maura's chest. She wasn't sure how she was feeling. Maura ran her fingers through Jane's hair as the raven haired detective listened to her steady hear beat. It was a strangely comforting sound.

"Our killer may have a name and a face."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** I am so sorry that it took so long. I sort of lost inspiration for the plot but I am back now. And I suppose I just got lost in life itself to even try and sit down to write some more. I hope you guys are still into this story and will still be so kind and awesome to review. Enjoy. And thank you all for kicking it over 100 reviews already. I appreciate it a lot.

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**Chapter 14**

Jane and Maura walked into the homicide department less than an hour later. Jane's hair was still damp from the shower she took after hanging up the phone. Maura was immaculately dressed as usual and her inquisitive hazel eyes scanned the room before discovering Frost and Korsak standing by the whiteboard. She briefly took hold of Jane's arm and the dark haired brunette looked up, roused from her thoughts. Seeing her colleagues looking at the collection of crime scene pictures involuntarily made her stomach turn.

"What have we got?" she said, ignoring the wave of nausea that washed over her. She glanced at Maura, who was fixated on the crime scene pictures. She did not envy the brunette's fascination with death. It was part of Jane's daily routine, the stench of death, but for Maura it was part of her life. A part Jane knew Maura couldn't live without.

"One of the patients came up as a hit in the system," Korsak said, stepping aside to reveal a new picture on the board.

Jane's dark eyes snapped up and her heart froze in her chest. In a flash she remembered everything; his eyes, his smell, the way his hands had felt when he touched her and the pain. The image of her own blood glistening against the blade sent a shiver down her spine. And now she stared into the face of evil; of the man who had intruded into her life. She swallowed hard in attempt to make the bile that rose in the back of her throat to go away.

"Meet Michael Jonathan Moore," Frost said and he held up the patient's record. "He was diagnosed with Bromhidrosis and Hyperhidrosis as a teenager and has been receiving treatment at Boston Medical Centre for several years. Marcus Johnson has been his physician for the past five."

Maura's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to the board. "And how did he come up in the system?"

Frost glanced at the pathologist. "He has a record for voyeurism."

Jane couldn't suppress a snort but an uneasy feeling crept up on her. "It's quite a long jump from being a peeping Tom to becoming a serial killer."

Frost picked up a piece of paper, walked around the desk and stuck it onto the white board. Maura curiously looked at it and she looked over her shoulder at Jane. "His mother died. Many serial killers have a breaking point. Some sort of a psychological trigger that sends them into their spiral of violence. This could be it."

"His parents divorced when he was ten," Frost said.

"How much do you wanna bet that daddy's new girlfriend was a brunette who lived in an apartment?" Korsak said and Maura turned around, clearly ready to give some scientific retort about odds and probabilities and Jane quickly stepped forward.

"Do Social Services have anything on him?" she asked, leaving Maura with her mouth open.

Frost's eyes met Jane's. "His record is sealed."

"Unseal it."

Frost sat down behind his computer and for a few seconds all they could hear was the sound of his fingers rattling across the keyboard. Jane looked back at the white board, her eyes fixed on Michael Jonathan Moore's face. She tried to remember the shadows she had seen, whether his face matched her memories. But her mind abandoned her and the frustration left her feeling uncomfortable. Maura stood beside her and briefly searched for her hand, taking it gently into her own. Jane looked down at their linked fingers and smiled kindly. She had no idea what she would do without Maura at this moment in time.

"There are reports of suspected abuse at the hands of his mother," Frost cut through the silence and Jane looked up. Her partner's eyes were focused on the computer screen. "She was a religious fanatic. Roman Catholic. According to one of the reports she made him wash himself with bleach and pray until his knees bled. Observation of the child revealed bruises consistent with abuse."

"My guess is that he holds the other woman responsible for what happened to him," Jane said, speaking out the thought that has risen in everybody's head. "And I can't say I blame him." She glanced at Frost. "Is there an address?"

"Only the place where his mother used to live. He is not registered anywhere else, claims no social benefits," Frost answered and mentioned the address.

"There is a church around the corner from there," Jane said and when Maura shot her a surprising look, she smiled. She could only imagine Maura's surprise at the realisation that Jane ever set foot in a church. "I know the priest. My bet is that that is the church where our suspect's mother used to go to. It's a Catholic church and has been there forever. They must know her."

Maura's eyes twinkled. "Come on, Jane. Time for confession."

~()~

The Church of the Sacred Heart lay in the middle of the Italian Quarter in Boston's North End and as Jane parked her car right across the street and turned off the engine, Maura looked out of the window. There were a few shops, some apartment buildings. The streets were crowded, even in the middle of the day. Women carried shopping bags, a small group of teenagers hung around outside a coffee bar. It was just another ordinary day in Boston.

"Are you all right, Jane?" Maura questioned, glancing sideways at Jane and the dark haired detective looked up.

"Yeah, fine," Jane said and opened the car door. She got out, slammed the door behind her and started across the road without really giving Maura a chance to catch up. When she reached the sidewalk the brunette pathologist caught up with her. She knew better than to ask and instead she silently followed Jane towards the church. Its oak front doors were wide open, inviting in anyone who felt the need to pray or confess; saints and sinners alike.

Jane's eyes were immediately drawn to the large statue of Jesus' crucifixion and for a moment she hesitated whether to make a cross or not. The smell of burnt candle wax and a smell that could only be described as a "church smell" penetrated Jane's nose, bringing back memories she had stored deep in the back of her mind. All the wooden benches were empty and the sun fell through one of the stained glass windows. In those few moments of hesitation, a figure appeared from one of the doors in the back and the sound of footsteps on the stone floor made Jane looked up. A smile spread across her face.

"Father Nardozzi" she said, feeling Maura stepping closer to her. She wondered if Maura had ever been in a church for any other reason than a case. She reached out her hand and the elderly man eagerly took it into his own. He had intense brown eyes, receding grey hair and a face full of wrinkles that told the story of a life filled with peace, the love for the Lord and interesting stories. "It has been a long time."

"Jane Rizzoli," Father Nardozzi smiled as he shook Jane's hand. "I never forget a face. Your mother told me you are a detective now. How is your father?"

"As reluctant as ever to set foot inside a church," Jane smiled and Maura understood it was an inside joke she was unfamiliar with. Now that Father Nardozzi let go off her hand Jane ran her fingers through her hair. "This is Dr Maura Isles." She watched as Maura shook the priest's hand. "I was wondering whether I could borrow a moment of your time?"

"Have a seat," Father Nardozzi answered, gesturing to the wooden benches.

Jane sat down, with Maura beside her and Father Nardozzi sat down in the row in front of them before turning around.

"Do you know Michael Jonathan Moore?" Jane questioned and she watched the look in Father Nardozzi's eyes changed. The look in his eyes darkened and the kindness was replaced by worry.

"Yes, I know him," the priest answered slowly and looked from Jane to Maura and back. "His mother used to be a regular here until her untimely death. May I ask what this is about?"

"An on-going investigation" Jane answered, careful not to mention anything related to the Boston Butcher. Beside her, Maura stirred uncomfortably. The wooden benches were hard and cold, as was to be expected in a church. She looked back at the priest, who was looking at her in anticipation. "What can you tell us about him?"

"I have seen him a few times. He seemed shy and submissive. His mother was a very religious and spiritual person. For many years I didn't even know she had a son," Father Nardozzi answered and Jane looked at Maura. His answers fitted perfectly into their case and the picture began to form. "His mother, Mary, was here almost every day. I found her praying here many times. Often she was seeking to find a cure for her son's illness, she said. She once begged me to tell her how she had sinned to be punished so severely."

"She considered her son's illness to be a sin?" Maura said sharply and Jane hoped her lover would refrain from saying anything else. "She did not believe it was a genetic failure?"

When Father Nardozzi shook his head, Jane swallowed. "Have you ever known Michael to get angry?"

"I have barely known him to speak."

"What about his father?" Jane inquired.

"I have never seen him. When I asked about him Mary told me he was dead. He had died when Michael was little. Something about a car accident," Father Nardozzi said and he looked at Jane. "Jane, you never once told a lie inside the house of God. Would you please tell me what this is all about?"

"We believe Michael may be involved in one of the cases I am investigating. I can't say too much, I am afraid," Jane answered and Father Nardozzi nodded. "But the story Mary told you about her husband is a lie. He left the family for another woman when Michael was ten. It is about that same time that she started coming here."

"I see," the priest replied. "I'm sorry I can't be of any more help."

"You have helped us a lot, Father," Jane answered and stood up. Maura followed and started for the door. They were about half way down the path when the priest called Jane back and the raven haired detective looked over her shoulder. For a second it was as if she was being thrown back in time and she was a little girl again, looking up at Father Nardozzi because she had forgotten to say goodbye.

"Jane," he said and their eyes met across the length of the path. She knew he expected a reply and she rubbed her hands together. The scars hurt. "How is your faith these days?"

Jane swallowed and she averted her eyes, staring at the black tiles of the church floor. "Things change."

When they walked out of the church and stepped out into the daylight, Maura got hold of Jane's arm and forced the detective to turn around and look at her. Their eyes met and Jane sighed, knowing that Maura wanted to know how she knew the priest.

"What was all of that about?" Maura asked, searching Jane's face.

"Do you know where we are, Maura?" Jane asked and made a gesture. Maura's eyes darted around the street, the shops, the church and the parked cars but she failed to see what Jane meant. "This is the Italian Quarter, Maura. I was born and raised not far from here. I went to a Catholic school and was taught by nuns. Whenever we had church services, this is where we went. Father Nardozzi has been here for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I think he is as old as the church itself."

Maura nodded in understanding. "Why did he ask you about your faith?"

"One day after Sunday school I asked him why God doesn't love everybody," Jane said and a sad look filled her eyes. "Father Nardozzi always said that if we ever felt challenged by our faith we should come to him with our questions. We had read a passage of the Bible that condemned homosexuality. I was fifteen and had a crush on another girl. I asked him why some humans were better than others."

Maura glanced over her shoulder at the church, its door still wide open; inviting in any and all who felt the need. And there lay the contradiction. It invited in all who felt the need for prayer, for safety, for a sense of belonging and at the same time it was so eager to cast out all of those who did not fit the rules to which it obeyed. Gone was the safety offered. Gone was the sense of humanity that all people craved. "What did he say?"

Jane shrugged. "That one day I would understand."

"And do you?"

"No," Jane answered firmly and turned her back on the building they had just visited. She looked to make sure no traffic was coming and started across the street, back to the car. "There was a time I wanted to. But like I said, things change. And people change too."

"Do you believe in God?" Maura asked unexpectedly before stepping into the car and Jane looked up, holding the door handle in her hand. Their eyes met over the roof of the car and Jane almost drowned in Maura's hazel eyes.

"No."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Jane pulled a face, not quite sure whether she understood what it was Maura was trying to achieve. She sighed.

"Why don't you believe in God?" Maura questioned. She showed no intention to get into the car.

Jane glanced over her shoulder, back at the church where she had spent so many hours. A sense of sadness washed over her, filling a tiny, empty space in her heart she didn't even know she had. "Because, frankly, I don't think He believes in me."

~()~

"I think we've got our guy," Jane said as she and Maura walked into the department. Frost looked up and stood up, waving a piece of paper in Jane's face when she reached him. She took it from him, unfolded it and smiled. "Arrest warrant."

"I suppose this means you want me to stay here," Maura said and Jane smirked.

"When was the last time you chased after someone in those heels whilst holding a gun?" she asked and Maura grinned. "I'll pick you up tonight, OK? Dinner at my parents' place."

"Ooh," Maura said and Jane arched an eyebrow. "When did that happen?"

"It happened when Ma sent me a text message about half an hour ago," Jane answered and shook her head. Maura nodded and turned around, leaving Frost and Jane behind. The dark haired detective followed her lover with her eyes and when she eventually caught Frost looking at her, she rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm. "Shut up."

"When are you going to tell your parents?" Frost asked and Jane sighed.

"I don't know," Jane sighed and shook her head. "Ma is always going on at me about having to find a husband. And now I am dating Maura. God knows how she is going to respond to that. Don't get me wrong, she won't mind but..."

Frost patted her on the shoulder. "I'm just glad it ain't me, Jane."

"So, you ready for this?" Jane asked, waving the arrest warrant in Frost's face. Frost grabbed his gun from his desk, slipped it into his holster and rearranged some of the paperwork on his desk. Jane placed her hands on her hips in frustration. "Come on slow coach, we have a serial killer to catch!"

~()~

Jane found herself only a block away from the church she had visited earlier that day and when she stepped out of the car she felt all her senses go into overload. She checked whether she still had her gun, it was a compulsion, and glanced at Korsak, who was doing exactly the same thing at the same time. Her heart rate increased as they stepped onto the sidewalk and walked down towards the old house a few hundred yards away.

"It looks like it could do with a little TLC," Jane said as they reached the front door. The paint had started to flake off and the wood had begun to splinter. The windows were covered in a thick layer of grime and the curtains inside looked like they had not been washed for several decades. Weeds had found their way through the cracks in the pavement and even through the dark front door windows Jane could see the pile of mail accumulated on the doormat.

She glanced at Frost before knocking on the door. When she lowered her hand she brushed it along her slacks. "Somehow I don't think he's going to be home."

As expected there was no answer and Jane did not bother knocking again. She stepped back, allowing Frost to have a good aim before his foot landed perfectly against the door. The wood splintered even further and the poor lock gave way immediately. The door swung open inwards, revealing a dark hallway covered with rotting carpets and piles of mail. Jane covered her nose with her sleeve as she stepped into the hallway, and searched her belt for her torch. She flicked it on and the beam of yellow light cut through the dark shadows.

"It smells like a skunk died in here," Frost said with a muffled voice and even Jane had to suppress her gagging reflex. She pushed past the untouched mail and tried not to think about the mould sticking to the bottom of her boots as she walked. The hallway led to another wooden door and she opened it, revealing the entrance to what was supposed to the living room. Most of the furniture was covered in dirty white sheets, like someone had once intended to paint it. The windows were covered in thick layers of grime and dirt, the curtains were torn and mould was growing on the walls. The wallpaper was peeling off and it looked like nobody had been here for a very long time. The smell was even more intense and made Jane's stomach turn.

"Are we sure he still lives here?" Jane asked, looking over her shoulder to find Frost leaning against the doorframe. The ceiling and lamps were covered in cobwebs.

Her partner met her gaze. "If he doesn't we just risked our own lives for nothing."

"I don't think I even want to go near the kitchen," Jane pulled up her nose. She had images of rotting food, dirty washing and other things that would pose a biological hazard for anybody entering the house. "Let's try upstairs."

"We're probably going to fall right through the stairs," Frost said and turned in the door. Jane closely followed him and they reached the wooden staircase to the second floor. Jane tentatively looked at it; the beam from her torch followed it all the way to the second floor. It felt like they were about to climb up into the unknown. She looked at her partner.

"It was nice knowing you, Frost."

She was the first to step onto the wooden stairs and it creaked under her weight. She pulled a face and quickly, without too much hesitation, made her way up to the second floor. Three doors lead to three separate rooms. The third one was open and revealed the bathroom. The tiles were a dirty shade of green and the bathroom suite looked like it had once been part of sixties decor. Jane turned away and focused on the other two doors. Even in the weak light of her torch she could see the difference between the two door handles. One was covered in dust and grime, the other was clean.

"I think we've got something," she said as Frost appeared behind her and she took a deep breath before her hand closed over the door handle. The door opened with a high pitches squeak and Jane gasped as the room behind it was revealed. It was the only room in the house that wasn't dark and mouldy. If anything it seemed to be bathing in light. Dozens of candles were placed around the room, lighting it up. The flames created off shadows on the wall and Jane lowered her gun and her torch. She pushed the door open further and stepped inside. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her mouth became dry.

"My God."

Along the far side of the room stood a single bed covered in dirty sheets. It looked like it had seen better days. On the bedside table lay a Bible, its leather cover torn and quite obviously used a lot. A small crucifix lay on top of it. But Jane's eyes were drawn to the other wall and she gasped. Her torch almost slipped from her fingers and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

The wall was covered in pictures. Faces that had become so familiar to Jane stared back at her. The faces of all their victims were plastered over the dirty walls, combined with what appeared to be pages ripped from that very same Bible. Bright red paint had dripped over the victim's faces. The word was clear and it was a final insult. JEZEBEL. The drops of paint made it look like the victims were covered in blood.

"Jane," Frost said as he approached the bed and looked at each of the woman's faces.

"I know," she said. Her mouth was still dry and her eyes were stinging with tears. "They're his victims."

Her partner shook his head and pointed at the picture at the end. He looked over his shoulder and met Jane's eyes.

"Jane, this is you."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Here is another chapter. Not as long as some of the others but anyways... Have fun.

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**Chapter 15**

They returned to the department later that day and Jane felt the strong urge to take a shower. They carried several evidence bags with pictures they had taken of the suspects' wall, some of the candle wax and a whole load of dust. Frost was still brushing the cob webs of his jacket as Jane threw the collected evidence on Korsak's desk. The older detective looked up.

"Where did you find this?" he asked, his eyes snapping up to meet Jane's.

"Moore's place," Jane answered. She suppressed a sneeze and glanced over her shoulder. Frost had found a piece of tissue and was trying to wipe a stain from his sleeve. "You know, they should check for asbestos in that dump." He nodded in agreement and she looked back at Korsak. "The rest of the items have gone to CSU. I thought we could keep some of them, to match them with our own evidence."

She began to take the pictures out of the back and moved some of the other evidence on the board around to make room for them. One by one the faces of the dead women appeared yet again, this time in pictures taken as they did their grocery shopping, walked down the street, left a church or enjoyed drinks with a friend. Jane's fingers were trembling when she reached for the last picture in the bag. It was her own; she was wearing shorts and was on her way back from her usual jogging routine. The bile rose in the back of her throat as she stuck it on the board, between victims four and six.

"Son of a bitch," Korsak swore and walked up to the board. "He stalked each and every one." He was careful not to mention Jane by name but Jane knew what he thought.

"They were plastered all over the bedroom wall," Frost said and looked over his shoulder when the sounds of heels on lino betrayed Maura's presence. She stood still, frozen for a moment, as she stared at the new pictures on the wall. Jane too turned around and their eyes met across the length of the room before Maura walked up to her. She searched for Jane's hand and took it into her own.

"No sign of Moore but he couldn't have been gone long; the candles were still burning," Jane said. "The house is a dump; covered in mould and dust and it looks like that apart from his bedroom, no other room has been touched or lived in for some time. We have posted a patrol car outside the house, just in case he comes back."

"You don't think he is stalking another victim?" Maura asked softly and Jane glanced at her.

"We didn't find a list and the pictures are only of the women he killed," Frost said and Jane shot him a look. "And Jane." He quickly added and swallowed hard. Jane couldn't suppress a grin and looked back at the board. "So it seems he only puts pictures up _after _he has attacked them."

"He left Jane's picture up there even though she survived" Maura said and Jane shrugged.

"He didn't know that, I suppose. I passed out. For all he knew I was dead. He just never bothered to check."

"We have five women; all dead. One survived. Our killer clearly objectifies them; sees them as prostitutes, whores. It is why he accuses all of them of adultery, calls them Jezebel. They all resemble a woman from his past; the one who stole his father. He was left with a religious mother who most likely had gone delirious after her husband abandoned them. All men became evil; including her son. And he blamed the torture he endured on the other woman, not his mother. It is likely he put her on a pedestal," Korsak said and Jane turned to look at him.

"When did you become a profiler?"

"I just pay attention."

"I pay attention to you but somehow I think I couldn't come up with something like that about you," Frost said and Jane laughed.

"That's because there is nothing to say."

"He could very well be right, Jane," Maura said and the dark haired detective looked at her lover. "The description he gives fits perfectly with our killer. He is a social outcast; because of his condition and the way he was raised. He is shy, unable to form normal social relationships, and socially awkward."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Jane grinned and Maura rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.

"When his mother died the only safety he knew disappeared. He was left to vent for himself and there was nowhere to go, nobody to tell him off. He became conflicted about his own feelings of hatred towards the woman who ruined his life and his feelings of loyalty to his mother and God. It is most likely why he leaves the Bible verses. He is not trying to tell them something. He is trying to justify himself."

"Did he skip the Ten Commandments?" Jane asked cynically and Frost's eyebrows shot up in question. "Thou shalt not kill?"

Korsak took a deep breath. "So now we know he's nuts. But unless he comes home there is nothing else we can do. There is an APB out on him. So if you don't want to trail the streets yourself, I suggest we all go home and have a well-deserved night off."

"So much for the night off," Jane said and checked her watch. "I have a Rizzoli dinner to attend to."

~()~

Jane and Maura arrived at the Rizzoli residence just before seven that night. After having left the precinct they had returned to Maura's, had a shower and got changed. Jane had even found some time to fuss over Bass, who had seemed not even in the slightest interested. Maura had been unusually quiet during the drive around Boston and as she parked the car down the road and opened the door, Jane grabbed her arm and made her turn around.

"What's wrong?" Jane wanted to know and their eyes connected.

"Nothing," Maura answered and Jane's eyes narrowed. Maura's cheeks almost instantly turned a deep shade of scarlet. Her ability to lie was non-existent. Jane's fingers slipped from Maura's wrist, down to her fingers and gently caressed her. "I am just worried about what your parents are going to say."

Jane smiled though she understood her lover's worry. She had not felt worried about her parents' reaction. She was more worried about how she was going to tell them. Somehow it had never been difficult to mention someone she had just met but now that it came to Maura, she was clueless as to what to say. "They have known you for quite some time, Maura."

"The amount of time one has known another person doesn't always influence the outcome of particular situations," Maura said and Jane shook her head. She got out of the car, walked around it and her arm snaked around Maura's shoulder, pulling her closer. The brunette rested her head on Jane's shoulder. She took a deep breath and they slowly walked up to the path leading to the front door. As they approached Jane could smell her mother's cooking and her stomach rumbled.

Her fingers closed around the door handle and she pushed against it. It was open, as usual, and she and Maura stepped into the hallway. The sound of the television mixed with the sound of cutlery against a metal bole filled their ears and Jane glanced at Maura. She briefly leant in, kissed her quickly and then opened the door to the living room. Her father and Frankie were sitting on the sofa, watching the seven o'clock news. Both looked up when the two women entered and sent them a smile.

"Hi daddy," Jane said and her face lit up. She was a daddy's girl, as her mother kept pointing out, and the relationship between her and Frank Rizzoli was completely different than the one with her mother. She leant over the sofa, planted a quick kiss in her father's hair and slapped her brother against the back of his head. Frankie reached up and rubbed the spot where his sister had hit him. "Who said you could come over for dinner, jerk?"

"Hi Janey," Frank greeted his daughter and looked over his shoulder. "Hi Maura."

"What's mom doing in there?" Jane pointed at the kitchen. There were some very unflattering swear words coming from the other room and when her father rolled his eyes Jane decided she would look for herself. She walked up to the kitchen, stuck her head around the door and witnessed how her mother took a blackened dish from the oven. Thick, black smoke began to fill the room and Jane hurried to the nearest window, opening it.

"If you set this place alight I will kill you!" Jane coughed, waving her hand in front of her eyes. "I know those guys at the fire department! They'd have a freaking field day!"

"Ooh, that's dinner ruined," Angela cried and threw the smoking dish into the kitchen sink. She turned to look at Jane, who was still coughing and whose eyes were red and swollen. Angela seemed rather helpless and stared at her daughter in disbelief. "What are we going to eat now?"

"Frankie!" Jane shouted and her brother gave her a grunted reply. "Find the number for the nearest pizza place!"

"But I was supposed to cook," Angela said on a whining tone but Jane took her mother's shoulders and pushed her out of the kitchen. As they walked into the living room, Maura and Frank looked at them in mixed horror and surprise. Frankie came walking back in holding a menu and the phone and looked at Jane and his mother.

"Who wants pepperoni?"

~()~

An hour and three freshly arrived pizzas later, the Rizzoli's and Maura were sitting around the living room table. Since a home cooked dinner was off the menu, Angela had decided they might as well eat in the living room. A few plates, several bottles of beer and a glass of wine for Maura filled the table and Frankie had just opened the pizza boxes and Jane took in a deep breath before glancing at Maura. Her lover met her gaze and pulled up her shoulders.

Jane picked up a slice of pizza, took a bite and then looked down into her lap. "I, errr, I met someone."

Angela's hand came to a rest in mid-air and Frankie, who had just taken a large gulp from his beer, nearly choked on it. Three sets of eyes, four when including Maura's, now rested on Jane and the dark haired detective carefully looked around. Seeing the expectation on her mother's face, the happiness that ignited in her eyes, made her stomach turn. She had never liked the way her mother pushed her to settle down. Ever since she became a police officer Angela had reminded her she was ruining herself.

"It is someone I have known for some time, actually," Jane corrected her earlier comment and watched how Frankie's eyes almost instantly snapped in Maura's direction. Meeting the pathologists' gaze was all he needed and he looked back at his sister with a glint in his eye. When Jane saw how he just bit down into his pizza, she knew everything would be all right. Instead, she looked at her parents' and tried to find a way to tell them exactly who her new lover was.

"We have been friends and know each other well. There is no other person in this world I trust more," Jane continued and from the corner of her eye she watched how Maura put down her glass of wine, hazel eyes now fixing on Jane. She swallowed. "I am very happy."

"Well?" Angela asked hopeful, staring at her daughter. Somewhere she could hear wedding bells chime. "Is it Grant? Did he come back to Boston? Oh Jane!" But when Jane's face betrayed nothing, Angela's mind went into overtime. "Or that partner of yours? What's his name? Frost or something?"

"No," Jane answered and fumbled with her fingers. She could only hope Maura wasn't offended by the fact her mother just mentioned two men they had both worked with. Maura had liked Grant, and Grant had liked Jane. She had liked him too, as a friend. He had never been more than that and he never would be. Even back then she had been in love with Maura. It was like she had always been in love with Maura. "Actually, Ma, it's..."

"Me."

Angela's mouth dropped as Maura's voice trailed off and her brown eyes found the brunette pathologist. Jane looked up too and glanced at her father, who had been quiet but now that Maura had spoken, he looked at her.

"What..." Angela began and Jane took a deep breath.

Her heart was hammering in her chest and the palms of her hands had become unusually sweaty. She rubbed them together and hoped her heart wasn't going to explode in her chest. Her mother looked positively stunned and Jane couldn't blame her. "She's right, Ma. The person I am seeing is Maura."

"It sure took you long enough," Frankie laughed as he picked up another slice of pizza.

"Long enough?" Angela asked, clearly not understanding the joke.

"You have no idea the benefits attached to being injured in the line of duty," Jane laughed and sipped from her beer. Her mother's stunned face was priceless and she glanced at Maura, who seemed unsure whether to drink her wine or eat her pizza. Now that Jane looked at her, she smiled and chose the pizza. She seemed slightly puzzled at how best to eat it and then nibbled at one of the corners. Jane watched in amusement and when she looked back at her mother, Angela met her gaze.

"So now I have to tell everyone that my daughter is dating someone who cuts into dead bodies for a living," Angela sighed and shook her head. "Carla Talluci was about to set you up with one of her cousins."

"Carla Talluci cousins all need restraining orders that keep them away from women, Ma," Jane laughed and took another large gulp from her beer. She met her brother's gaze and Frankie winked. She wondered whether he was involved in any of the bets about her and Maura's dating record. He raised his beer as a toast, gave the two women a nod and took another sip.

Frank Rizzoli looked at his wife, who was now looking from Maura to Jane and back, as if she was trying to create a picture in her head. "It can't be any worse than when your mother had to tell everybody she was going to marry a plumber. Besides, Ang, these days same sex marriage is legal in the state of Massachusetts. You may just get to see Jane in a dress after all."

"No way!" Jane groaned and ran her hands through her hair. "I am not wearing a dress!"

"You're not?" Maura questioned in surprise.

Jane shook her head. "Can we please stop talking about wedding dresses? Gees, I have only just told you and me and Maura and now everybody is trying to force is down the aisle!"

Angela opened her mouth to give a retort but she was interrupted by the simultaneous buzzing of both Jane and Maura's cell phones. Angela gave a sigh of frustration as the two women reached forward. Maura's phone stopped vibrating. It was a text message. Jane's was still ringing and the caller ID said FROST.

"Rizzoli," she said and her gaze met Maura's. The pathologist looked at her. Whatever the text message had been, it was clearly the same message as the one Jane just received. "OK, we'll be right there." She hung up and shook her head though excitement had ignited in her eyes. "Frost said Moore just returned to his home. So much for our night off." She stood up, grabbed one of the pizza boxes and ignored Frankie's protest. "I'll take this."

She and Maura walked out of the house, towards the car and Jane took another slice of pizza and sank her teeth into it. She opened the car door, placed the box on her lap and waited for Maura to start the engine. The brunette looked at her and narrowed her eyes.

"Try not to drip all over the seats," she commented and started the car. She turned around at the end of the street and followed Jane's directions back to Michael Moore's house. The closer they came, the louder Jane's heart began to beat in her chest.

Tonight it was going to end.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Hey guys, thank you so much for reviewing this story. My first R&I and so many reviews. I could not have wished for anything else, really. This is the final chapter. I thought the ending was very fitting and I have already allowed my brain to wander off to future projects for this amazing couple. "It ends here". ~Cissy_  
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**Chapter 16**

There were several patrol cars parked outside Michael Moore's home when Jane and Maura arrived. Maura was forced to park around the corner as the street was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. The two women hurried along the sidewalk, Jane flashed her badge at the uniformed officer standing guarded and they ducked under the tape and reached Frost and Korsak. The latter threw Jane a bullet proof vest and Maura helped her adjust it. No one spoke for several seconds. Adrenaline was rushing through their veins, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"Put this on," Jane said when Frost gave her a second bullet proof vest and passed it to Maura. The brunette pathologist seemed puzzled as her fingers clutched the heavy material. She looked up to Jane.

"I'm not going in," Maura said and pointed at her shoes. "High heels and guns don't mix, remember?"

"Look around," Jane said sharply and took Maura's hand. Her lover could see the fear in Jane's eyes and she knew she wanted her to be safe, but the rebellious part of Maura was still reluctant to put on the vest. "You are surrounded by police officers who all have guns, just like mine. Guns have bullets in them. If they start shooting and one of them goes stray I'd rather it didn't hit you in the chest so put this on!"

Maura allowed Jane to help her put on the vest and then made her way to the other side. Jane watched her walk away before looking at Korsak and Frost. There was loads of police around, the blue and red lights flashed through the darkness, creating a strangely haunting atmosphere. Police officers were talking to each other, though Jane noticed most of them had their hands on holsters, ready to draw their guns and fire.

"Well, at least he knows we're here."

"Seems a bit over the top for just one man, doesn't it?" Korsak said, looking at the large gathering. "He was not described as armed and dangerous. Why are there so many of them?"

"We are about to arrest a serial killer," Jane answered and her eyes were drawn to the front door. It had been badly repaired since she and Frost visited earlier today. The image of a scared, frightened individual flashed through her mind, huddled in the corner of his bedroom, rocking back and forth. She shook her head and chewed her lip. "They all want a piece of it."

"We're ready to go in," Frost said after a croaked message came in over the radio. He looked at Jane. "Just us for now. If we need back up, they'll be right behind us."

Jane shook her head and drew her gun from her holster. A strange, unexpected sense of calm washed over her and she looked from Frost to Korsak and back. Both were ready and had drawn their guns. Jane's fingers cherished the trigger of her gun. The temptation was strong. "Somehow I don't think that's going to be necessary."

The three of them walked towards the front door. Korsak threw his full weight against the wooden door and it easily gave way, splintering under the pressure. Darkness greeted them and Jane turned on her torch and the beam of light cut through the dark tunnel ahead of them. She stepped over the threshold into the building, followed closely by Frost and Korsak. The floorboards creaked as she walked and she froze hallway down the hall. Nothing but silence greeted them.

"Michael Moore?" Jane called and her voice echoed off the walls. Now that they stood inside the sounds from the outside world had faded. The blue and red lights were no longer visible. It was absolute darkness. "Boston PD! We have a warrant for your arrest!"

"He's definitely in. The smell's even worse than earlier," Frost said as he covered his nose with his sleeve. Behind him Korsak, who had not yet visited the residence, was hit by the offensive odour and coughed. Frost looked over his shoulder and Jane suspected he was amused by Korsak's discomfort, as Korsak still teased him with his inability to be around dead bodies. Now they were even.

"Upstairs," Jane said, shining her torch onto the stairs. She placed her right foot on the rotting wood and held her breath as she balanced her full weight on it before putting her left foot down. Satisfied it wasn't going to collapse she looked over her shoulder. "And watch your step!"

She began to climb the stairs, heading up into deeper darkness. Her torch cut through the shadows and every so often Frost's beam would creep over her shoulder, providing her with more light. As she reached the landing, her heart began to hammer in her chest. The bedroom door was ajar and the yellow candle light flickered inside. She looked over her shoulder and found Frost right behind her, closely followed by Korsak. She nodded in the direction of the door. She held up her hand and stuck up three fingers. The two men nodded.

She counted down silently. Three. Two. One.

She reached for the door handle and pulled it open further, revealing the room she had discovered earlier today. The candles were still burning though now the wall was bare. It looked as unloved and covered in mould as the rest of the house. Jane clutched her gun, her fingers pressed closely against the trigger. The metal felt cold against her skin and it was what kept her grounded. Now that the door was open it revealed the full scene inside. Jane felt her breath stall in the back of her throat.

He sat on his knees, his back turned towards the door. He had bowed his head, as if in shame. His hands were folded and pressed against his forehead. His shirt was not only stained but also drenched in sweat. The smell in the room was prominent and Jane suppressed a gag. The Bible that had been on the bedside table earlier today now lay on the bed in front of him, open. She could hear his whisper, muttered words, repeated over and over like a mantra.

"Michael Moore?" Jane asked, attempting to keep herself from gagging. She fumbled with the handcuffs on her belt. Behind her she heard Frost enter the room. She aimed her gun, pointing it at the man's back. Her heart was still pounding against her ribcage and she stood nailed to the floor, unable to move. The words slipped from her tongue with ease. She had spoken them so many times. But her voice empty. "Place your hands behind your head and lie down on the floor."

There was no reaction.

"Place your hands behind you head and lie down on the floor!" Jane repeated but she did not move. She felt Frost walk past her and watched how her partner pulled back Michael Moore's arms, pinned them behind his back and cuffed him. There was no resistance. Not a single word of protest. But as Frost began to pull at his arms in attempt to pull him to his feet, Jane realised something was wrong.

"STOP!" she cried and rushed forward.

Frost had pulled him up with help from Korsak and the two detectives slowly turned their suspect to face Jane. But she had seen something in the dim candle light. Something the others had not noticed.

Jane looked from Frost to Korsak. "His hands!"

And the three detectives looked down at Michael Moore's hands. They were covered in blood. Korsak immediately reached into his pocket for gloves and threw spare pairs to Jane and Korsak. Jane managed to put them onto her clammy hands and then looked up to meet her attacker's eyes. They were empty, lifeless. Dark ringed, blood shot eyes met her own. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. His hair stuck to his skin, dirty and greasy. His skin was pale and a long, narrow scar covered the side of his face.

It was hard to imagine a man this quiet had attacked her in her own house. Nothing about him reminded her of the monster she had encountered that night. Were it not for his hands covered in blood, she would never have believed he had done the things he did. Jane stared at Michael Moore's face, trying to remember the shadows that still haunted her. But when he spoke she recognised him. His voice was the same. It was him.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

"Yeah well, unfortunately the law is not that forgiving," Frost said and he pushed Michael Moore out of the room. As they reached the door, Moore turned around and looked directly at Jane. She had turned and looked back at him. Their eyes met across the distance of the room and the dark haired brunette felt her heart freeze in her chest.

"They all have to die. Adulterers and whoremongers alike for they befoul the World of God. They take and destroy what is Holy," he spoke, looking at Jane. Whether he recognised her or not, Jane didn't know. Frost turned him around and pushed him out onto the landing and down the wooden stairs. Jane let her breath escape, feeling her heart ease down in her chest. Cold shivers crept down her spine. She felt frozen inside, like someone had emptied a bucket of ice water inside of her.

"Jane," Korsak said on a dangerously low tone and she was snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at her former partner, who was now standing by the bed. He had picked up the Bible and held it in his hands. He turned around to Jane and she looked at it and felt her heart break in her chest. There, covered in blood, lay a picture that was new to all of them. The woman smiled back at her, her eyes still alive. But her face was stained in dried blood and Jane turned away.

"We're too late."

"Jane."

"Look at it, Korsak! A picture that wasn't there before! We said he didn't put the pictures up unless he had attacked them. It's where he went earlier. That's why he wasn't home! He killed her because we weren't quick enough to find him!" Jane said in frustration and ignored the tears burning behind her eyes. She did no longer care whether Korsak saw her weaknesses. She shook her head. "We need to find out who she is. She deserves it. It should be us who find her, not somebody else."

"I'll get them to cross reference her face with the id pictures on Boston driving licenses. It should give us a match in no time," Korsak said and filed past Jane. He briefly placed a hand on her arm and she looked up at him. Meeting his eyes she knew he understood. He walked out, leaving her in the candle lit room with her own thoughts.

She turned back to the bed. Korsak had left the Bible and she carefully picked it up. Her stomach turned at the sight of the blood and her gloved fingers traced the pages, not registering the words written on them. She looked up and her eyes darted around the room. There was more blood on the bed sheets and only now did she see the clear indentations where Michael Moore's knees had repeatedly knelt down on the floor to pray. She knelt down to the floor, close to where the indentations were and placed the Bible in front of her. The sickening feeling was overwhelming.

"Jane?"

Her head snapped up when she heard Maura's voice and she found her lover standing in the doorway. She looked worried and Jane stood up, leaving the Bible on the bed. Maura carefully stepped into the room and when Jane looked down she realised she was no longer wearing her high heels. Instead she had borrowed some poor officer's shoes and was wearing purple gloves.

"Don't tell me one of the patrol officers is wearing your high heels," she smirked.

"No," Maura stated "He's not wearing any shoes at all."

Jane shook her head and reached up to brush a strand of hair out of Maura's face. "What are you doing here?"

"Frost asked me to check on you," Maura answered and looked around the room. The bare wall was a striking feature and she shook her head. Her eye fell on the bloody Bible on the bed and she resisted picking it up. "He seemed so subdued and quiet when he came out. He barely spoke. You wouldn't even think he did the things he did."

"He did those all right," Jane said and her voice sounded slightly hollow. "He even asked for forgiveness for his sins in this very room. He quoted some sentence about the Lord providing forgiveness. Well, if he forgives a monster like Michael Moore I will definitely lose the last little bit of faith in the existence of God I have left."

"Let's go outside," Maura said, placing her hand on Jane's arm. The dark haired detective looked at the pathologist and sighed. There were times Maura knew exactly what to do and say. They were rare but it made them extra special. Feeling Maura's hand on her arm instantly made her feel calmer. "Get some fresh air. Hopefully they will have a match for the picture soon and we can leave all of this behind us."

Jane looked at Maura and the corners of her mouth turned up. "Is this an inappropriate place to tell you how much I love you, Maura Isles?"

"Yes," Maura answered and smiled "But you can do it anyway."

Jane smiled and took Maura's hand into her own and together they turned around, leaving behind them the room where Jane's attacker had lived, where her picture had been pinned on a wall and where dried blood stained the sheets. Jane turned in the door way, looked at the burning candles and then turned around, leaving the door wide open and followed Maura down the stairs in the darkness. When they reached the hallway they were greeted by a group of CSI's who were on their way up. They filed past them and stepped out of the front door, back into the dark night. Jane's lungs eagerly expanded with the fresh evening air and she took in a sharp breath.

Maura pointed at one of the patrol cars. "Look."

There, behind the glass, sat Michael Moore, his face pressed against the window. His face was illuminated by the red and blue flashing lights. Every few seconds they brought live to his hollow, empty eyes and Jane looked at him. In that instant she recognised him. The monster she had encountered in the darkness of her own home. The creature that had snuck up on her, broke through her defences and left her feeling weakened.

"If there is a God I hope he doesn't have mercy on his soul," Jane said venomously and she sighed. Korsak and Frost were standing a little bit further down the road, talking to some uniformed police officers. Jane shook her head and "Let's go back to your car and get the hell out of here."

~()~

The department was unusually quiet. A lot of the officers had set out for the crime scene. The capture of the Boston Butcher was big news and had already been plastered all over the news. Jane pushed against the doors leading to the homicide department and walked towards her desk. Maura was right behind her and stopped her from sitting down. Instead, she spun her around and unexpectedly captured Jane's lips with her own.

Jane's surprise quickly faded and her arms snaked around Maura's waist, pulling her closer. Feeling her lover near to her erased whatever tension was left in her body and she let her fingers run through the other woman's hair. Maura's lips were warm and tender against her own and she tasted of cherries. Her hands cherished the sides of Jane's face, traced the lines of her jaws before slipping down her back, coming to a rest just above her behind.

When they parted they were both panting slightly and Jane rested her forehead against Maura's. She stared into her hazel brown eyes. Maura's breath was warm against her skin, making her shiver. "You're amazing, Maura."

"Not half as amazing as you are, Jane."

"Do you two need a minute?"

Jane looked up to find Korsak and Frost walking into the department and she smiled. She was feeling better now that she was away from anything related to Michael Moore. She briefly looked down at Maura's hand holding hers and a sense of safety washed over her. "No. Have we got a match on the picture yet?"

"Her name is Emma Novak," Frost said and showed Jane a print out of a driving license. The woman from the picture looked back at them. There was a silence that seemed to last longer than usual. Everybody knew what they would find once they'd leave the department. "Address is on the back."

Jane looked at Maura. "Let's go."

~()~

The apartment block was a new build in the Brighton area, along the banks of the Charles River. One single patrol car stood parked outside and the uniformed officer standing outside looked thoroughly miserable. He growled something at Jane as they walked past him into the building. The apartment was located on the second floor and Jane and Maura took the stairs. Reaching the apartment Jane found herself hesitating in the door way. Maura filed past her, all business as usual, and made her way into the bedroom.

Jane eventually followed and found Maura bend over the bed. The brunette lay tucked in under the sheets, with only tiny blood spatter covering her face. She appeared to be sleeping. Maura had put on her gloves and gently pulled back the covers, revealing the body hidden underneath. The woman's clothes were drenched in blood and even with the naked eye and without undressing her she counted eleven stab wounds. The woman's hands were neatly folded, as if in prayer.

"This is it," Jane said, looking at Emma Novak's face. The similarities between them were obvious. Thick, wavy brown hair, same height, similar weight. She tried not to imagine Michael Moore hovering over her body, mutilating it, posing it. She turned away and glanced out of the window. Boston would sleep safe tonight knowing another killer had been put away. She should feel a sense of satisfaction but instead she felt a sense of emptiness. She turned around to look at Maura.

"Victim number six to have been killed at the hands of the Boston Butcher. There will be no more. It is over. This is where it all ends, Maura."

She turned around and walked out of the bedroom, out of the apartment and out of the building. She stepped into the night and looked up to the sky. In a few hours dawn would break and the whole of Boston would know that another serial killer had been arrested and put behind bars. And she hoped that she would wake up to find that the shadows no longer haunted her. All she could do was hope. Without hope for anything, the world would be a far more daunting place.


End file.
